Under the Darkness
by awesome dt
Summary: In the year 2045 Japan, the Dark Ages, Len Kagamine leads a highly elite but young group of terrorists known as "Darkness." Their aim to rebel against the Royal Hatsune family leads them to abduct the Hatsune princess Miku. But when the cold Len finds himself falling in love with the fiery Miku, they must put their feelings aside and save Japan from a startling conspiracy.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Yuuma, Piko, take your positions" I instructed on my walkie-talkie while at the same time walking warily through the long and never-ending corridor. "Roger that, Captain" Yuuma answered. With every step, my breathing grew heavier and my vigilance increased.

Just a few steps and we'll reach the room – the Princess' room. When I reached the intersection, I picked the walkie-talkie and said in a low but clear voice "Now!"

BOOM! "Hey, what's that?!" I heard loud whispers and soon enough, two guards ran past the intersection, without noticing me and leaving the way clear to the room of the Princess. Piko was truly a weapon's expert.

As soon as they were out of sight, I walked to the door. It had a luxurious appearance and was made of mahogany, with intricate carving and extremely smooth texture. I touched the door and felt delighted at its surprising warmth and smoothness. At camp, we have only rusted iron doors.

Regaining my focus, I pulled out my gun out of its holster and held it in a defensive position against any assailant. And soon, with a thumping heart but my usual regained composure, I put my hand on the doorknob. My mind shouted at me to turn it but my body strangely refused to obey. Why? I'd never felt like this before, so nervous. It was very unusual of me.

But soon, my mind started screaming "_The guards! They're gonna come, you idiot! Open the bloody door!" _I took a deep breathe, trying to calm myself. "It's now or never" I said to my nervous heart and turned the knob.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Assault

**~ Author's note ~**

**Hello, dear readers! I already have a new chapter out! This is my first fanfic so please go easy on me! :) It's a multi-pairings story and some of them are MikuxLen, RinxKaito, LukaxGakupo, MeikoxDell, NeruxMikuo, HakuxNero, MikixPiko, SeeuxYuuma, LilyxKiyoteru and IaxRook! Other pairings I'm yet to decide! All kinds of reviews are welcome and I hope you enjoy the story! Special thanks to Zhane17 and ImaginaryFlower for their constructive and encouraging reviews and for following and making my story a favorite! And thanks to all those who read it!**

**Ch. 1 – The Assault**

"_Hey, Len?" a green-haired girl asked a blonde boy lying beside her, twirling a dandelion in her hand. "Hmm?" the blonde replied, his eyes peacefully closed, enjoying the warm summer evening. "When the rebellion is over, will you – will you-'' Len opened his eyes to look at her when she did not reply for a while. Her cheeks were tinged pink and her mouth was open as if she wanted to say something but could not bring herself to say it._

_Len sat upright and held her hand. "Gumi, what's the matter?" She snapped her head at his voice, his breathe tickling her face. Their lips were just inches away from each other and if Len moved even a bit, their lips would close together. And that would've been the case if an impertinent blonde girl had not come running at the moment._

"_Onii-chama! Gumi-chan! I and Neru-chan found candy!" she was running, waving the relished and rare sweet in her hand. Another girl with long, dirty blonde hair in a side ponytail was running after her, looking displeased at the sight of Len and Gumi together. Gumi blushed, having been caught with Len, but got up and dusted her skirt and patted Rin on the head. Len had a slight blush too. "You and Neru did a nice job, Rin" Gumi said, smiling at the blonde girl. Rin beamed at her but after noticing Len, smirked._

"_Sorry for disturbing your date with onii-chama" Rin said in mock apology. "RIN!" Len and Gumi shouted at the same time both blushing furiously. Rin kept on smirking while an annoyed Neru cleared her throat "It's getting late. Your parents will be worried, Len-sama." Len's poker-face came back on as he said "Yes, let's go." Rin dragged Neru ahead; clearly wanting the couple to have some time alone while a disgruntled Neru forcedly followed__her. Len, still blushing uncomfortably, offered his hand to a tomato red Gumi. "Let's go" he repeated smiling softly in a low, almost inaudible voice. Gumi smiled back and said "Yes, let's."_

Len bowed down in front of the grave, placing a bouquet of dandelions on it and said a short prayer.

"Saints of God, come to her aid. Come to meet her, angels of the Lord.

Receive her soul and present her to God the Most High.

May Christ, Who called you, take you to Himself; may angels lead you to Abraham's side.

Receive her soul and present her to God the Most High.

Give her eternal rest, O Lord, and may your light shine upon her forever.

Receive her soul and present her to God the Most High.

Let us pray: We commend our friend, Gumi, to You Lord.

Now that she has passed from this life, may she live on in your presence.

In Your mercy and love, forgive whatever sins she may have committed through human weakness.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen."

"Amen." Len turned his head only to meet the warm gaze of his sister, smiling at him. With a last look at Gumi's grave, he got up and started walking away. "Let's go. We have to prepare for the assault."

In the headquarters, all the main members of "Darkness" were present, gazing intently at Len, their Captain, their leader. "As you all know" Len spoke, addressing his friends "we're gonna attack the royal palace today. The detonations of yesterday's bombs have had a favorable effect and the city is currently in total chaos." A girl with long, vermillion hair and red eyes shot her hand up. "Yes, Miki?" Len asked, in a knowing way.

"But how're we gonna cross the palace walls without commotion? Even without the usual army, there still must be at least a thousand soldiers. And the palace walls are too high to climb up and too thick to break through. The only way we can go through is the main gate, which is defended by a large army of soldiers" the girl asked in a nervous voice, since this was gonna be her first rebellion attack. "We're gonna go underground. I assume you have already made the arrangements, Piko?" Len asked, looking at a heterochromatic boy with white hair, a right, green eye and left blue eye. The alleged boy inexpressively nodded while Miki stared at him with admiration.

"Right" Len said, continuing speaking "So, as planned, we're gonna go underground straight up to the throne room. Here, we'll combat any soldiers and go to the main corridor, while Gakupo, Ia and Neru stand guard at the entrance." Here, he was interrupted by Neru, who whined "But I wanna come with you!" Len remarked her with a cold glance and refused "No, I need you to stay with Gakupo and Ia, since you're one of our best shooters." Neru tried to refuse but knew better of it and remained silent.

"I, Yuuma, Lily, Rin, Piko, Meiko and Miki will go to the main corridor, where the rooms of the Princess, the Prince and the King are situated. After we finish off all the present soldiers, Rin and Miki will interrogate the Prince while Meiko and Lily, you two take care of the King." The said people nodded. "I, Yuuma and Piko will handle the Princess, since she's likely to have the most protection." "So he gets the chick" Lily muttered under her breathe while Len pretended to have not heard her. Neru seemed annoyed at Len's last sentence.

"After we abduct her, we'll meet in the throne room and escape. Is that clear?" he asked in a cold, commanding and firm voice. Everyone nodded, not wanting to ask any questions. They had great faith in Len, since he had led them to survival during the Second Holocaust. Not all of them though but still. "Meeting dispersed. Be ready by 8:00 p.m. sharp." After a formal salute, the group disbanded.

Len sighed as he took a chair and sat down, staring at a childhood photo of them, where Miki and Gakupo had not been present. Instead, a green-haired girl was. Tears formed in his eyes and he muttered "It's my entire fault." "It isn't your fault Len" Rin said, pulling a chair close to him and laying a hand on his shoulder.

"YES IT IS!" Len snapped and Rin flinched at the sudden violent outburst. Gaining back his cold composure, Len said more softly "Yes it is." There was silence for a while broken by Rin, who spoke in an anxious voice "Do we really have to carry out the assault Len?" Len held her gaze with his cold eyes, saying "Are you afraid, Rin? It's unlike you." Rin bit her lip, trying to find a suitable answer.

She finally sighed and replied "Yes, I'm afraid Len. But not the way you think. I'm afraid of losing someone. This time, we're directly confronting the royal family." Len stared into the distance, thinking deeply about something. "But" Rin continued "I don't wanna sneak around and steal food anymore. I don't wanna hide every time I see the military. I don't wanna live in exile, never allowed to freely roam in the Tokyo. I wanna be free Len, so I'm not gonna BACK DOWN FROM THIS ASSAULT." Rin said the last five words with great emphasis.

Len stared and smiled at his sister. Even with her petite build and short height, she was brave and willing to sacrifice herself for the benefit of their people. Rin stretched and yawned. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep now. I need to recharge myself for the mission" and having said that, she got up and walked away. Len turned his attention back to the photo again. This time, he wasn't gonna fail. This time, he'd ensure the security of everyone. Even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

All the shops in Tokyo were beginning to close now since it was the law that by 8:30 p.m. sharp, they should be locked up or they'd be confiscated. The sky was starless tonight with only a crescent moon and flickering street lights to light up the ruined city. And Len had chosen a perfect night for their attack.

The ten youngsters crept through the dark night, sticking mostly to shadows, lest anyone see them. They made no (or very little) sound as they crept through the streets, hiding every time behind trees or shrubs the military appeared. Each one of them was carrying at least two guns, enough ammunition, a walkie-talkie and a small first-aid box. They spoke little, focused on the mission and each planning the perfect way to survive. It was highly risky, yes, but then they weren't normal youngsters with guns. They were the members of 'Darkness.'

'Darkness' – the very name instilled fear into the minds of the citizens of Tokyo. A highly elite terrorist organization, well-governed, who always wore black clothes and masks. Though thousands had seen them in newspapers, magazines, on T.V. yet no one knew their real identities from outside their brotherhood. And the leader, he was the most-feared. He too wore the same clothes but his mask had red lines running through the sides and he was rumored to have killed a hundred soldiers single-handedly. No one in their right mind could guess that this elite and lethal group was a faction of youngsters led by a callous 19-year old.

"We're here" Len finally spoke, stopping exactly 2 miles away from the castle gates. The members quickly put on their masks and gloves and switched on their walkie-talkies. "I think all the instructions are clear. I am asking this for the final time because as soon as we enter the tunnel, there'll be no turning back. Do you take an oath to stay by my side during this assault, no matter how heated it gets?" Everyone promptly nodded their heads.

"We will stay by your side Captain, even if we have to die!" Rin shouted and everyone saluted him. Len nodded at them, which was his way of conveying that he was proud of them and that he wanted everyone to do their best to survive. Because as soon as they'd enter the tunnel, their life would be in God's hands.

The castle did not resemble one at all – it wasn't colossal with great spiraling towers and a moat filled with crocodiles and a drawbridge or guarded by soldiers wearing armors. It was a huge building, not as big as medieval castles, but extremely huge and luxurious-looking for impoverished and inter-war Japan. There was no doubt that it had been crafted by a talented architect with a breathtakingly beautiful garden. The mansion was white in color with small traces of midnight blue and aqua green here and there. It was beautiful, in a moderately simplistic way.

However, 'Darkness' had no time to appreciate its beauty as they made their way through the underground tunnel lit by torches which hung from the low ceiling. Everyone knew Piko was a genius but they still couldn't believe that he and his men had created such a fine tunnel, so stealthily in just a week's time. But their minds reverted back to their almost impossible mission – to kidnap the Princess. No one had ever seen her or either the Prince as the King was rumored to be overprotective of his children. They felt an unquenchable curiosity and each one wondered what she'd look like.

"We're here" Len finally spoke, after an endearing silence of half an hour which brought everyone, who was not vigilant, out of their reverie. Len nodded at Piko, who now took the lead, and climbed up a small staircase. There was a huge lid above the staircase, assuredly the door to the throne room, with a lock on it. Piko dialed some covert combination and the lock came undone. He opened the lid cautiously and after an alert watch, motioned everyone to follow him.

And thus, began the assault.


	3. Chapter 2 - Princess Miku

**~ Author's note ~**

**Hello everyone! Second chapter's up! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. I've got loads of surprises up my sleeve.:) Special thanks to Zhane17, Lady Azuha, Harmonian Traveller, Imaginary Flower and BlackSakura-Chi for their support, reviews, favorites and follows! And thanks to all my readers!**

**P.S – In this story, Miku and Ia have exchanged their hairstyles. **

**Ch. 2 – Princess Miku**

The Royal Palace did not look too attractive from afar but from a nearer view, the onlooker would appreciate the simplistic beauty of the place. Created by a famed architect, the palace was entirely white with a hint of midnight blue and aqua green here and there. It wasn't colossal like the castles of medieval times but was extremely huge and luxurious-looking in the ruined city of Tokyo.

It had 200 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms, a whole floor of servant quarters, a 20 m wide hall, a 300-seated dining room with an extra accommodation for 100 people, a sauna, a Jacuzzi and a whole list of other luxurious rooms. And from a room in the east side, a pretty but sullen face sat staring out of her window.

"My lady-'' a nervous young woman with grey hair in a low pony and red eyes stuttered, clearly afraid. "It's Miku, Haku" the girl replied sullenly. Haku took a deep breath and spoke again, much confident than earlier "Miku, His Highness wants you to meet the Shah of Iran and his son. They'll be coming to dinner tonight." That broke Miku's nerve. "F*** HIM!" she screeched "I don't wanna meet another f***ing a**hole prince!" Haku flinched, even though she was used to Miku's outbursts.

Suddenly, another young woman with long pink hair and piercing blue eyes appeared and reprimanded Miku "Watch your tongue, Miku." Miku glared at the new woman but the pinkette glared back at her and Miku finally sighed. "You can go, Haku. Tell the bi-'' another glare from the pinkette "tell father I'll be ready in an hour." Haku politely bowed, gave a grateful look to the pinkette and walked out of the room.

The pinkette took a chair and sat beside Miku near the window. "New hairstyle?" she remarked. Miku suddenly burst out crying as the pinkette hushed her, trying to console the poor girl who wept copiously. "Why, Luka?" Miku said, in between sobs "Why did he have to be my father? I HATE HIM! He's made life so miserable for me, for Mikuo, for Japan." Luka said nothing, just held and caressed the girl caringly.

"Just the other day" Miku sniffed "I saw an old man near the temple. He had nothing to eat, poor soul, only a bit of dry bread. And then – and then-'' Miku's voice trailed off, unable to describe the horror of what she'd seen. Luka knew. She'd heard about it from one of the guards. The man had been beaten ruthlessly by the palace soldiers and his bread had been fed to wild dogs. Why such cruelty you ask? The answer was simple; he had not paid his taxes.

And now, _His Highness_ was forcing Miku to get married to some prince of Iran. Hell, he'd even organized a dinner party! "Luka" Miku stared at the older girl, finally in control of herself "I don't wanna marry HIM." "You'll be just meeting today" Luka lied; she knew the truth would hurt. Miku smiled and shook her head. "You and I very well know that today will be my first and last stay here. From tomorrow" even though the words hurt her, Miku spat them out "I'll be married and in some palace in Iran."

Luka flinched. Something inside her had just died. And that was the hope to see Miku happy. There was a knock on the door. "Come in" Miku replied, as she hastily wiped her tears. She never showed her weak side to anyone – except Luka. Haku entered and bowed. "M-My lady" the timid servant stuttered "H-His Highness wants you to d-dress up in the b-bridal gown. T-The Shah of I-Iran has arrived."

"What the hell is that noise?!" Yuuma asked, as a series of laughter and loud chattering fell on their ears. It seemed to be coming somewhere from the east. "Sounds like a wedding to me" Gakupo stated. Everyone turned to stare at him. "What?!" he retorted. "Ia, Piko, go check it out" Len said. Miki felt a pang of disappointment as she watched her idol leave. "By the way" Meiko said, sweeping her eyes around the place "Where're all the guards?"

"Len" Neru said, inching closer to him "something seems fishy." Len nodded, as his vigilance increased. He heard footsteps towards them and signaled his team to get into positions. As the footsteps grew nearer and nearer, the tension and vigilance of the teenagers increased. It was . . . . Ia and Piko. Everyone visibly sighed in relief – except Len. "Gakupo-san was right" Ia bluntly stated, staring at the purple-head. Everyone's mouths hung open. "There is a wedding taking place" Piko completed Ia's sentence. "Told ya" was Gakupo's only reply.

In less than five minutes, the ten teenagers were discreetly staring at the large amount of guests in the Hall through a balcony. There was surely gonna be a wedding. "The Prince of Iran is getting married to Princess Hatsune" Ia had gathered some information from the loud chattering. "The Prince looks hot" Lily smirked, licking her lips. Everyone rolled their eyes. Typical Lily. "How can you think about boys at a time like this?!" Rin whispered to her older cousin.

"Don't tell me you don't think he's hot" Lily raised her eyebrow at the younger girl. "Well-'' Rin blushed. "What shall we do, Len?" Neru asked. "I don't see the princess anywhere" Miki said, looking around the place. "I suggest we just take the princess and run" Len said, as he got up. The members seemed to agree with him and were about to walk out, when suddenly two guards appeared before them.

"I was just saying to Kaname-'' but they stopped short when they realized that ten people dressed in full black were before them. In other words - Darkness. Len and Neru were quick enough to kill them by poisoned daggers straight through the heart but one of the guards was clever. He fired a shot in the air and the whole procession turned to stare at them. "To the throne room" Len ordered, pulling out the knives from their chests as they dropped dead. As they started running, there was total chaos. _I'm sorry, _Len thought as he looked at the dead guards for the last time.

"Unit 10, Unit 10, I want you to report to the Courtyard." "Come on men! The east side!" "Have you found them yet?" "I want you to stay on guard in the main corridor." "Where can they be?" "Is this a terrorist attack?" "Of course, the Shah of Iran and the prince!" "They're 'Darkness' – we have to be triple careful." And hundreds of other speculations were voiced out loud by the soldiers.

They searched for the 'damned terrorists' everywhere – the attic, the main corridor, the sauna, the hall, the kitchen and even the prison cells. But those 'b***hes' were nowhere to be found. However, none of them had the idea to look in the ventilator.

Meiko's ear was pressed to the lower side of the ventilator, listening intently. "What're they talking about?" Rin whispered. "They are checking and re-checking each and every room and the security in the main corridor has been tripled" she replied, pausing to listen to some more news. "Just our luck" Lily hissed "who knew that that blasted guard would be so clever?" "Now what do we do?" Miki asked, totally worried. Suddenly, Meiko's face paled.

"What if they are in the ventilator?" an intelligent, boyish voice suggested. "Mik-Prince! You should be in your darned room!" a pissed-off, male voice shouted. "You have no right to talk to the prince like that!" "Why do you f***ing care?!" "Please stop! We need to-'' But Meiko heard no more. She turned to Len and quivered "T-They are coming up the ventilator." Everyone's jaws dropped but they regained their senses and switching off the torches, put on their night vision goggles they'd found in a raid. Len ordered "We need to get out, quick."

As the teenagers began crawling away, they heard someone climbing up the ventilator. "Hurry up!" Yuuma half-shouted, half-whispered. There wasn't much space in the ventilator so they had to crawl in a line. Just as they turned to an intersection, they heard the ventilator flap opening. "Let's check it out" they heard murmurs of voices and quickened their paces. But this one was a longer passageway and they weren't sure if they could reach the other intersection in time.

"Hey, Bruno?" they heard someone call out. "What, Al?" Bruno replied. "I don't think those terrorists are here. I haven't heard a single noise from outta here." There was a momentary silence. _Please go away, _Len silently prayed. "I think ya right. Let's get the hell outta here" Bruno said. The teenagers waited with bated breath as they heard the two men walk away and let out a sigh of relief when they heard the ventilator flap close. "Looks like the Gods are on our side" Rin smirked.

"Oh my god, this place is full of guards" Lily whispered, as she lowered her head unobtrusively and stared at the number of guards in the main corridor. "How many?" Neru asked. "At least fifty." Everyone stared at Len, waiting for his instructions. _This is gonna be risky, _he thought, _but we have no other choice. _Taking a deep breath, Len ordered "As soon as I give the signal, I want everyone to go down and knock out all the guards. NO KILLING, just knock them down or wound them if you have to." Everyone nodded. "Put your gas masks on." When everyone had, Len ordered Piko "Drop the smoke bombs."

There was a soft BOOM and the entire corridor was covered in thick, dark blue smoke. Thick coughs and shouts resounded in the air as the teenagers dropped down softly and began knocking out the guards. Some of them desperately tried to fight back, but were soon rendered unconscious. When only about five guards were left, a dagger narrowly missed Len. They all stared at the place it'd come from.

Two figures stood in front of them, with normal, teenage clothing. A boy and a girl, wearing gas masks as well. The boy had silver hair tied in a short, high ponytail and the girl had waist-long pink hair. And they were attacking them, alone. Both of them were swift and strong and were well trained in the use of both daggers and guns. Meiko single-handedly attacked the boy, taking out her own short sword. Gakupo and Miki both attacked the girl, but she was able to stab a knife in Miki's shoulder blade.

Miki let out a piercing cry and Lily rushed to her side and caught the wounded girl in her arms. "Take her and escape" he told her "Ia, go with them for security. Stay hidden in the throne room. If we don't reach within half-an hour . . . . . . go back home." Lily was about to say something but was dragged away by Ia. Meiko and Gakupo were fighting the strangers quite well, though each of them got an occasional bruise. But suddenly, the smoke began to clear. And worse, Len could see hundreds of approaching figures in the distance.

"Guards" Rin said through gritted teeth. _S**t, _thought Len but aloud he said "Piko, how many smoke bombs do we have left?" "One" the heterochromatic boy replied nonchalantly. "Keep it ready" Len told him. Meiko and Gakupo seemed to be getting tired. Len signaled something to Rin and Neru and suddenly, the two girls attacked the figures from behind. The boy was knocked out but the girl managed to evade the blow and hit Rin squarely on the chest.

"Oof!" Rin said, as the wind was knocked out of her lungs but Neru managed to stabilize her. The guards were only a few meters away from them and Len could hear their throat-cracking shouts. The girl seized the opportunity and stabbed Gakupo but Len managed to knock her out at the same moment. Just as a guard was about to catch Rin, Len looked at Piko and shouted "NOW!" and the boy dropped the smoke bomb. As the smoke filled the corridor, the guards all started coughing loudly and retched as the poisonous gas entered their mouths, nostrils and eyes. "Is this the sulphuric bomb?" Len asked Piko. He just nodded.

"Ah" Gakupo groaned and Len saw that he had been stabbed pretty deep in his arm. Even though Rin didn't say it, he knew she was hurting as well, as she clutched her chest lightly. And Meiko had cuts and bruises over her body. "Go and stay with Lily, Miki and Ia" he turned to the three of them "and Neru, you'll accompany them." "But-'' the girls began to say at the same time when Len cut them off with a glare. "I said GO, NOW" he ordered "and if we're not back in half an hour, return to the Brotherhood."

They silently nodded and soon, were gone. Len motioned Yuuma and Piko to follow him while all the guards lay poisoned. "We'd better tie her first" Yuuma suggested to Len, pointing at the pink haired assassin. They took out some cuff links from their bags and bound her hands and feet as tightly as they could. As the three of them continued walking away, Yuuma couldn't help looking at her one last time. _Why does she seem so . . . . . familiar?_


	4. Chapter 3 - Fire meets Ice

**Thank you for bearing with my horrible writing till now! **** Len and Miku finally meet in this chapter XD! Hurrah! Special thanks to Zhane17, ImaginaryFlower, AuburnSakura, BlackSakura-Chi, Harmonian Traveller and Lady Azuha for their unconditional support! And thanks to all the kind people who bother reading it! :D **

**Ch. 3 – Fire meets Ice**

Len, Yuuma and Piko were back in the ventilator, discussing their plans. "That gas will keep them knocked out only for a good twenty minutes more. We must move fast" Yuuma said. Len was thinking hard. They were quite near the princess' room but . . . . . two bulky soldiers stood guarding the door, fully armed. And there were about twenty other soldiers hovering around. The boys had exhausted all their bullets and only Piko had a revolver with seven bullets. In other words, they were trapped.

"Should we go back?" Yuuma mildly suggested. Len remained silent. _Should we go back, _he thought, _however, we HAVE to complete our mission. But, I don't wanna risk them and Miki and Gakupo are pretty badly injured._ He was about to order retreat, but suddenly, the memories of a certain green-haired girl flashed in his mind. _No, I'm not gonna retreat. Not when we're so close. _"I have a plan" he said and the other two snapped their attention towards him. "But we have to be careful; very careful."

As the ventilator flapped open slowly, Len quietly stuck his head out and noticed about fifteen guards running away, probably to follow some orders. And the other five were talking animatedly. He dropped down as quiet as he could and motioned Yuuma to follow him. "So like, Yuri told me that she'd –'' and one of the soldiers dropped dead. Before the others could react, Len and Yuuma expertly ended their lives.

Piko also jumped down and taking the guns of the guards, scavenged whatever bullets he could find. "Fifteen" he said. "That's not enough" Len grumbled "I just hope Rin and the others still haven't wasted any ammo." "By the way, shouldn't we check up on them?" Yuuma asked. Piko was already on the job. "Hello, 1, 2, 3, Piko here. Repeat if message is verified." There was only silence. "I said, repeat if message is verified." Silence prevailed.

Len's heart started beating frantically. _What if – what if- they're dead? I should've never let them go! I'm such a bad lead- _However, a crackled calmed down his nerves. "Hello, 1, 2, 3, this is Lily. Where are you guys?! Miki and Gakupo are bleeding non-stop and Meiko and Rin are hurt too." Piko stared at Len, who snatched the phone. "Len here. We'll be there within twenty minutes. If not, go back to the Brotherhood and DO NOT contact us." There was silence for a while after which Lily said "Come back safe, cousin."

"Yuuma, Piko, take your positions" Len instructed on his walkie-talkie while walking warily through the long and never-ending corridor. "Roger that, Captain" Yuuma answered. With every step, his breathing grew heavier and vigilance increased.

Just a few steps and he'd reach the room – the Princess' room. When he reached the intersection, he said in a low but clear voice "Now!"

BOOM! "Hey, what's that?!" Len heard loud whispers and soon enough, two guards ran past the intersection, without noticing him and leaving the way clear to the room of the Princess. Piko was truly a weapon's expert.

As soon as they were out of sight, he walked to the door. It had a luxurious appearance and was made of mahogany, with intricate carvings and an extremely smooth texture. He touched the door and felt delighted at its surprising warmth. At camp they had only rusted iron doors.

Regaining his focus, he pulled his gun out of its holster and held it in a defensive position against any assailant. And soon, with a thumping heart but his usual reserved composure, he put his hand on the doorknob. His mind shouted at him to turn it but his body strangely refused to obey. _Why? I've never felt like this before, so nervous. _It was very unusual for him.

But soon, his mind started screaming. _The guards! They're gonna come you idiot! Open the bl**dy door! _He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. _It's now or never, _he thought as he turned the knob.

As soon as Len opened the door, he was welcomed by the pleasant fragrance of aromatic perfume. He stared at the room. It was HUGE – almost as big as his cabin – and had teal wallpaper with pink sakura petals. There was a luxurious bed in the middle, with pink and teal covers and the same-colored window curtains. Heck, the whole room was a mixture of pink and teal.

But his attention was soon captured by the figure in front of him who wore a white bridal dress and a rose-patterned net veil. She had extremely long teal hair that was left open and seemed to almost touch the floor. She had her back turned to him and she seemed to be applying make up. _The princess. _"Luka" she suddenly said impatiently, which slightly startled Len "Is the commotion taken care of?! Why'd you have to-'' But then she turned back.

They stared at each other, shocked, mesmerized, mystified. She was the most beautiful girl Len had ever seen. Her skin looked as pure as cream, her eyes were so alluring, a beautiful teal in colour, her eyelashes were long and prettily curved and her mouth looked so cute in the shape of an 'O.' Len felt as if time had stopped for them . . . . and Gumi had come back for him in the form of this abnormally beautiful girl.

On the other hand, Miku was terrified, shocked, bewildered, panicky and everything else in between. There stood before her a person dressed in full black – a member of 'Darkness', nonetheless – with a gas mask on his face. And moreover, he had red lines on the sides of his mask. Meaning, he was the leader.

Len was the first one to regain his composure. He took out a handkerchief and sprinkled a sickly sweet gas on it, purple in colour. Miku was no expert but she was educated enough to know which gas it was. Chlorine. Miku panicked – she knew something was amiss. He didn't want to kill her, he wanted something else. As the 'beast' moved closer, Miku thought about what she should do.

'Darkness' – the number one enemies of her father or as he so called it 'Japan's.' She'd seen their terrorist attacks, their fighting skills and their creepy, faceless masks and often wondered – what kind of people were they inside? But right now, when she was faced with the leader himself, she knew they were 'beasts.' She DID NOT want to die, not when there was so much for her to do, to see. She was only 16! She wanted to live at least till she was eighty.

She did what she knew best. She threw her Moschino Limited Edition Fruity perfume – which she adored very much – at him. And when he avoided it with ease, it irritated her. "You could've at least let it hit you! Do you know how expensive it was?!" she blurted out of anger. The 'beast' paused and she thought she heard him chuckle. And that broke her nerve.

"How dare you laugh at me, you faceless a**hole!" she shouted, her cheeks red with anger and a really 'cute' pout on her face. Len found himself unwillingly smirking. _She is one amusing character. _But suddenly, he was reminded of his mission. His coldness came back and with one swift movement, he had his handkerchief pressed on the ranting princess' mouth. After a brief struggle, she passed out in his arms.

As soon as Luka awoke, she immediately searched around for the black-dressed creatures. Instead, she found herself in her room, on her bed and a tealette boy sitting beside her bedside on a chair. "Mikuo?" she muttered. "Glad to see you're awake, Luka" he smiled warmly at her, the smile which she'd always adored so much. Miku and he looked so cute when they- Miku!

"Where's Miku?!" she asked, sitting straight up in bed even though her head throbbed like hell. "Relax" he said, handing her a cup of tea, which she refused "the guards have gone to get her. She'll be safe." But something in Luka's gut told her he was wrong. "I'm going to see her" she said, getting out of bed but lost her balance. Fortunately, Mikuo caught her in his arms and Luka blushed faintly. "You're in no state to fight now, Luka. The guards are searching for the terrorists all over, though they've had no success yet. And Kiyoteru said that the hit on your head was pretty hard."

She suddenly remembered the confrontation. They were skilled – those two who fought her and Dell – but the girl who attacked her first seemed to be inexperienced. "What about Dell?" she asked, remembering her aggressive companion. Mikuo smiled. "You know Dell. He's currently ranting in his room. Haku's trying to calm him down." Before Luka could reply, Bruno, one of the guards barged into their room, a look of sheer terror on his face. "Bruno? Are you all right?" Mikuo asked, totally concerned. "The princess" Bruno panted "she's gone."

Len ran through the corridors, catching the unconscious princess in his arms. By now, the entire palace was searching for them with fierce alacrity. He mainly stuck to the shadows and entered the throne room. It was empty. "Len" he heard his sister whisper "Len, down here." He saw them near the underground door flap. Stealthily, he handed the unconscious tealette princess to Yuuma.

Everyone - except Ia and Piko – gasped when they saw her. "She's so beautiful!" Rin exclaimed. "Quite an eye catcher" Lily remarked, smirking. "Wow, I never saw someone as pretty as her" Miki said, quite forgetting her wound. "So that's why the King's so overprotective" Meiko stated. "I wouldn't mind her as a girlfriend" Gakupo bluntly commented. Everyone – except Piko – glared at him. "What?!" he asked, putting his arms in front of his face in defense. "She's pretty" Neru mumbled grudgingly. "So lovely" Yuuma muttered. Suddenly, Len heard footsteps approaching the room. "You can admire her later. Hurry now!" Len half-whispered half-shouted, jumping inside and as soon as they closed the door, two voices spoke – one familiar, the other non-familiar.

"What is it?" asked a nervous, female voice. There was a long pause before the other person replied. "I thought I heard someone here" said a male voice – the same voice Meiko had heard from the ventilator. "Holy shit" she muttered under her breath. After another beseeching silence, the male counterpart said "Must be my imagination. Let's go, Haku." Piko's eyes widened at the mention of the name but quickly returned to their blank look. Fortunately for him, nobody noticed because of the mask. "Let's go" Len said and quickly, 'Darkness' trudged their way back to the Brotherhood.

"They escaped?" a young man asked quizzically, staring at the Head Guard before him, one of his eyebrows rose for dramatic expression. "Y-Yes, Your Highness" Al, the Head Guard stuttered "We tried our best but-'' "And you were in charge of the operation?" the King cut him off mid-sentence. "Your Highness –I-I . . . . . . Yes." The King smiled creepily and said kindly "Never mind Al. You tried your best didn't you?" "Your Highness you're very kind" Al sighed in relief. The King just nodded and said "Execute him."

Al's face turned ghastly pale as he saw her come out of the shadows, the Devil's Angel herself. She smiled serenely at him . . . . . . before cutting his head cleanly off. It landed on the ground and his face had a terrified look. "Good work" the King smiled again "However, now that dear Miku is gone, how will we resurrect Sonika?" At the mention of the name tears welled up in his eyes. Devil's Angel walked to him and grasping his chin softly she smiled one of her beautiful but eerie smiles. "Don't worry my Lord" she said "the princess will soon be in our hands."


	5. Chapter 4 - The princess meets Darkness

**~ Author's note ~**

**Hello, dear readers! Thank you for still supporting my story! I would love suggestions from all of you on how to make my story better! AND REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! Special thanks to Zhane17, ImaginaryFlower, Coolkat88, Auburn Sakura, BlackSakura-Chi, Harmonian Traveller, Lady Azuha and Nekopyon for their unconditional support! I LOVE ALL OF YOU READERS! 3**

**Ch. 4 – When the princess meets Darkness**

The sunlight fell on the teal-haired sleeping beauty, still dressed in her wedding gown, who was lost in her dream world that was filled with adventure and freedom. Despite her constrained and polished upbringing, the fiery princess was a true bohemian at heart. Len stood at the doorway with folded arms, staring at the princess's sprawled figure on his bed. _She's lovely, _he mused, _but she's not for me._

"You do like staring at her, don't you Len?" his sister popped out from nowhere, eating chips with a smirk on her face. "I have to make sure she doesn't get away" Len said, rubbing his right eye. He hadn't slept for the past 36 hours. "Shouldn't you get some sleep?" Rin asked, feeling anxious for her brother's health_. _"I'll keep watch" Len said. After a pause he asked "How're you Rin? That pinkette seemed to have punched you real hard."

Rin pouted, clearly not pleased at the idea of Len hurting her pride and spat "She was just lucky I wasn't in full form. Otherwise . . . . . . I WOULD'VE BEAT THE S**T OUTTA HER!" She shouted and pumped her fist in the air. A small smile crept on Len's face. Despite being 19, Rin still behaved like a 12-year old. It was just adorable.

"H-Haku?" they heard the tealette murmur. Len and Rin stared wide-eyed as the princess sat up straight, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Then suddenly, she paused as if she remembered something. She stared at the two twins in the doorway who had aghast expressions on their faces and jumped out of bed. She ran towards them and peeped out the doorway. No one was there.

She sighed in relief and taking the twins by their arms, ordered "Let's go before they come." "Where?" Rin asked; clearly confused and still eating chips. Miku stared at her as if she'd just asked if pigs could fly or not. "Outta here, duh" Miku said, scanning the hall outside the door "We don't want Darkness to kill us, do we?" "What makes you think Darkness plans on killing yo-I mean us?" Len inquired, playing along. The idiot princess really thought that the two cute and innocent-looking twins were hostages like her.

"Are you two idiots or what?" she exasperated, her hands on her hips. "They wouldn't kidnap us to play dolls with them, would they?" "Well" Len pretended to muse, clearly enjoying this "they could've kidnapped us as hostages to start a rebellion in the country." "Or" Rin wanted to join in too "They could be sex addicts who want to force us into bondage, BDSM or the likes."

Len wanted to ask her where she was learning these terms from while our dear princess believed her, clearly horrified. "I don't wanna go into bondage!" she wailed "That's too torturous! I'd rather die!" At this, Rin couldn't control herself and burst out laughing. Len chuckled too.

"What the-'' he started angrily but when she heard Len chuckle, she paled. "You sounded just like that terrorist leader . . . . . ." her voice trailed off. "Apparently" he said, his cold personality coming back "I AM the terrorist leader." And Miku made a dash for it. Len narrowed his eyes at her disappearing figure while Rin casually walked away, still eating chips. "Good luck in catching her." "By the way Rin" he caught her wrist, tic marks appearing on his forehead "WHO told you about bondage?!"

As Miku ran down the hallway, panicked thoughts filled her head. _This is a dream; all of this. Haku's gonna wake me up soon and I'll have my breakfast and go to school and do everything I usually do- Woah! _Miku tripped over her wedding dress and would've fallen flat on her face, if someone hadn't caught her. "Woah! Careful there, princess" a female voice said and Miku looked up only to gaze into a pair of mischievous but warm brown eyes.

The girl – or lady more accurately – before her had a bob of brown hair and wore casual clothing. She grinned at Miku. "So you're finally awake, huh? Did you sleep well, princess?" "Are you with them too?" Miku asked her, hoping she'd say no. _This nice lady can't be with those terrorists. _However, she was proved wrong once again. The lady gave a short laugh and said "Yup, I am."

"Meiko? Have you seen my cell-'' a young girl around Miku's age appeared. As soon as Miku and her eyes met, it seemed as if lightning had struck. Two formidable rivals had met today. "Go back to your room" the newly arrived girl said coldly, taking out a gun from her holster. _She's speaking as if I'm the terrorist, not her!_ Miku was afraid but said through gritted teeth "What if I don't wanna, Blondie?" The nickname seemed to irk her even more and she spat "What did ya' say b***h?" Miku gasped at the vulgar word. No one ever called her that. NO ONE EVER.

"Just what ya' heard, you wench" Miku retorted back. This blonde really got on her nerves. "Shut up before I shoot ten holes in ya" Neru snapped, aiming her gun at the tealette. Meiko did nothing except stand back and watch with amusement. "Too afraid to fight without a gun, kitty-cat?" Miku said in a pathetically pitiful voice. There was silence for a moment. Neru's vein popped and she gave a blank smile. "You crossed the bridge" Neru grumbled before throwing off her gun and pouncing on Miku.

Meiko acted as a referee for the cat fight and was soon joined by Lily, Rin, Gakupo, Piko and Miki. Miki had tried to stop them but had backed down at the last moment. She wouldn't get involved in a fight between the scary princess and even scarier blonde. Piko was watching because he was bored, Rin and Lily were betting on who'd win while Gakupo was frantically clicking pictures. If he was lucky, he'd get a panty shot. Unfortunately, Meiko saw through him and broke the camera.

Just as the fight was getting intense, a high-pitched scream came from behind them. "WHAT IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!" a young girl with long, curly, blonde hair and who looked identical to Rin and Lily exclaimed in horror. Rin and Lily stopped betting and smiled awkwardly, "G-Good morning, Seeu." "What the hell is going on?" Seeu repeated, staring at the pile of two girls – one Neru and the other the princess her cousins and friends abducted last night – who lay exhausted on top of each other.

"Told ya" Piko stared at Rin and Lily, who grumpily handed him 500 yen each. "PIKO-KUN!" now it was Miki who exclaimed with horror "WHAT AND WHEN DID YOU BET?!" "He said that Neru and the princess would be exhausted before the fight was over" Rin and Lily muttered in perfect sync. "There goes my 500 yen!" they cried, anime-tears appearing in their eyes.

"Anyways" Meiko turned her smiling face to Seeu "Is breakfast ready?" Seeu smiled awkwardly – wondering how one could act so normal just after witnessing an intense cat fight – and sheepishly said "Y-Yes." "Let's get these two to their rooms" Meiko said, carrying the totally exhausted Miku – who had fainted - over her shoulder "Yo Lily, you get Neru."

When Miku opened her eyes – for the second time that day – a warm aroma of bacon and toast and coffee greeted her. The said things were on a table beside her bed. "So you're finally awake again" Rin said, crunching something that looked like chocolate cookies. "Yeah" Meiko slurred – looked like she was drunk - "By the wayyyyyyy, that was a greeaaaaaat cat-fight." She slapped Miku on the back – maybe a bit too hard "You were good kiddo. Neruuu was exhausted like a b***h."

"Thanks" Miku grinned. For reasons unknown to her, she kinda liked that compliment – and the insult to Neru. _Wait a minute, _she suddenly realized something, _aren't they terrorists? WHY AM I HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THEM?! AND What HAPPENED TO THE BLONDIE?! _But before she could voice her thoughts out loud, Rin tossed something at her. "Seeu gave some clothes for ya'. Thought you would like to change out of that uncomfortable gown." And with that, Rin walked away, dragging a drunk and asleep Meiko by her foot "See ya' later princess."

Miku stared at the clothes on her bed. There were black skinny leggings and a cream-colored, full-sleeved dress which reached to her mid-thighs with a pink, flowery print on it. Plus, Rin had also left her some ankle high brown boots which had cute bows on the sides. _Even if they're terrorists, _Miku smiled as she started changing, _they're really nice ones._

The Royal Palace was in a commotion after the events of last night. 10 guards had been killed. At least 50 of them were wounded and the head guard, Al, was found brutally murdered. But the most important of all, the princess had been kidnapped.

Mikuo stared at the hustle bustle going around in the palace. As much as he was curious and would like to help, he couldn't leave Luka alone. She needed him right now. The said woman was staring blankly out the window, watching as the sakura petals broke off from their branches and fluttered away in the wind, to some faraway place.

Luka hadn't spoken since last night. All she had done was just sit and stare into space. Mikuo sighed deeply and turned to face her again. Kiyoteru had warned her not to stress herself too much but Luka didn't even nod at it. The young doctor had left after that, knowing whatever he said wouldn't get into the woman's head now.

Mikuo sat beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. He wanted to feel, to understand what Luka was feeling – after all Miku was _his _sister. But he knew that he wasn't as half as sad as he was. No one understood Luka better than Miku . . . . . and vice versa.

After all, it was Miku who had brought Luka eleven years ago to the palace. He vividly remembered how Miku had brought her to the palace – a scrawny, skinny girl who wore a tattered white sundress. She was fair even back then but her skin had gashes and wounds and she was covered with dirt and slush. Her pink hair had been very short; it reached her chin and was crawling with lice.

And now, she had turned into a breathtakingly beautiful young woman. She had fair, alabaster skin which was extremely soft to touch, long, pink hair which you wished you could run your fingers through and cold but at the same time warm blue eyes. People often thought Mikuo and Luka were in a relationship, seeing how close they were but the tealette boy thought of her as a second sister. And now, while his sister hurt, all he could do was sit uselessly.

As Mikuo sat thinking what to do, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" Mikuo said. Haku entered and glancing at Luka and Mikuo's entwined hands, she added nervously "I-I'm sorry if I-I've intruded, p-prince." Mikuo gave one of his adorable smiles and said "Don't worry Haku, you're not intruding anything. I still can't seem to get Luka to speak, that's all." Sensing that Haku was awaiting his permission to speak he continued "So, what's up?" "H-his Highness requests your presence in the hall my Lord. T-The respected Shion family has come for a visit."

At that, Mikuo felt as if his entire burden had been taking away from his shoulders. "Kaito has come too?" he beamed at the thought. Seeing Mikuo's childlike happiness, Haku smiled at him. "Y-Yes, p-prince. Lord Kaito has arrived along with Lady Shion and Lord Akaito." Mikuo got up smiling but suddenly realized that Luka was with him as well. "Luka?" he tentatively asked "You're coming right? I-I mean, it's been 4 months since we last saw Kaito and you're frien-'' But seeing that she was in no mood to congregate, he added "If you want something, I'll be in the garden. Don't hesitate to ask me." When she gave no reply, he sighed and walked out of the room with Haku in tow.

"So, Haku" Mikuo turned to the silver-haired girl walking beside him "How's Dell?" She looked at him sheepishly and replied "W-Well, he-he's normal now t-though Ki-Kiyoteru-sama said he s-shouldn't strain himself too much." Mikuo smiled affectionately at her. "You work too hard Haku. Why don't you take a day off?" he suggested. Haku looked at him with frightened eyes. "N-No, p-prince! I-I have much w-work a-and with the p-princess kidnapped, h-how can I l-leave-''

"Tut, tut" Mikuo said as if he was reprimanding a child "Now, now, Haku, it's been more than a year since you last took a holiday. I know you're not a robot so I order you to take one." Seeing the stubborn expression on the p-prince's face, Haku timidly smiled and said "O-Okay prince, thank you s-so much." And both exchanged smiles. "Still flirting with girls, Mikuo?"


	6. Chapter 5 - Startling News

**~ Author notes ~**

**I'm so sorry for the late update! You see, I was suffering from writer's block and I know all that I've written is crap! But I really thank you dear readers and reviewers for keeping up with my shitty writing skills and supporting the story! I promise to improve! A big THANK YOU to all those who have ever reviewed, read, favorite or followed this story!**

**Ch. 5 – Startling News**

Miku twitched her eyebrow. She was annoyed; really very annoyed. First of all, SHE was the one who was kidnapped. Second, SHE wasn't the one who had requested to have a 'conversation.' Third, the person who had requested the 'conversation', was 20 f***ing minutes LATE. And fourth, she was being 'watched over' by that annoying blonde b***h who seemed to enjoy scowling at her.

She had been brought to a basement type of room by the blonde b***h, who had 'ordered' her to have a chat with 'Captain.' Miku initially denied – she was THE princess, he should be the one to come and meet her – but at Rin's insistence had obliged. The room was mostly empty except with a few childhood pictures of some of the 'terrorists.' She could've never thought that those innocent, cute kids could've grown up to form a terrifying terrorist group. All that aside – she was sitting on a chair, bored to death, waiting for the wretched kidnapper to arrive.

To pass the time, Miku started looking at a group photo of 'Darkness' which seemed to be two-three years old. She noticed three people in the photo who she hadn't seen yet; a boy around the Captains age with salmon-pink hair, a relatively young girl with long, strawberry-blonde hair and a cute girl with short, green hair. She wanted to ask blondie about them but thought better of it after seeing the scowl on her face. So she placed the photo inside the pocket of her new dress. She'd ask Rin about them later.

But, like everyone, Miku soon reached her erupting point. "Where is that kidnapper?! I've been waiting since the past twenty minutes!" she snapped, standing up. Miku wasn't a patient person and the fact that she'd been waiting for the past twenty minutes without throwing a tantrum was a miracle in itself. Besides, the dusty room that smelled like chalk-powder wasn't very comfortable. Neru looked at her with a dark face "You'll speak of Captain with respect. And for Christ's sake, sit down." Neru was an equally impatient person as Miku and did not like the fact that the w***h was insulting Len.

Some more minutes passed by and Miku seemed to have calmed down. "So" she asked, swinging her legs to and fro "Are you, the purple-head, the kidnapper, the kind brunette, the pretty blonde, the noisy blonde and the emotionless guy the only members of 'Darkness'?" Neru would've liked nothing more than to spit in the w***h's face but she had promised Rin to be civilized to the tealette. And she wondered how anyone could describe _Meiko _as kind.

Neru replied curtly "There are two more." _But there were three, _and out of curiosity Miku asked "Who are they?" "That's none of your business" Neru retorted. Miku pouted and was about to snap when a familiar voice said "You may leave, Neru." As both the girls looked at the source of the voice, they saw Len standing at the doorway. _Finally, _Miku thought and sighed in relief. Neru looked at Len with admiration and left the room a bit hesitantly, unwilling to leave the two alone. "Oh" Len turned back to Neru and added "Don't allow anyone to come in. Not even Rin."

As Len took a chair and sat opposite Miku, he stared at her inquisitively with his cold, blue orbs which made the princess flinch. _Is he going to kill me now?_ But to Miku's surprise – and relief - he just asked a question. "Full name?" _No 'Sorry, I'm late' or 'Sorry to keep you waiting'? Certainly NOT a gentleman" _Miku thought but did not voice her opinions out loud. "Miku Hatsune" she answered. "Age?" "Sixteen." His eyes widened at her answer but returned to their normal, chilly appearance.

"School?" "Royal Academy of Arts." "Siblings?" "Older brother, Mikuo Hatsune." Was he taking her interview? "Friends?" Miku swallowed. "L-Luk- What's the point of this?!" He put his index finger on his lips. "Answer only when I ask you." Miku would've loved to retort but somehow, his icy, blue eyes made her feel . . . . . vulnerable. She just nodded like a defenseless child. "Favorite food?" _WTF? _"Leeks?" "Favorite colors?" This was getting random but she answered nonetheless. "Teal pink and . . . . . sky blue." _Just like the colour of his eyes. _Len paused, pondering over something. Miku just sat and stared at him, looking at his features carefully.

Gorgeous blonde hair which was kinda messy but tied into a small ponytail at the top. Pale skin which had a recovering bruise here and there. A lean but toned body with sculpted features. And finally, those dazzling blue eyes which seemed to have the ability to instill fear in the minds of their opponents. All in all, her 'kidnapper' was stunning to look at. She suddenly realized she didn't know his name.

"Now you tell me your name, Mr. Kidnapper" Miku bit her lip coyly, a bit nervous she might be 'insulting' him, by talking to him without his asking questions "I can't keep on calling you 'Mr. Kidnapper' now, can I?" Her voice seemed to snap him out of his reverie and he narrowed his icy slits at her. "Len" he said through gritted teeth "Len Kagamine." _Len? It's kinda cute for a dreaded terrorist. Well, HE'S kinda cute for a dreaded terrorist, _Miku mused and giggled at the thought.

"Something's funny, princess?" Len asked – more like demanded - and she could see sweat producing at his scalp. _Why's he so nervous? _Miku shook her head and replied "No, nothing at all." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Well then" Len said, finally getting up "I have no more questions for you." Miku got up too and decided to at least say goodbye to him politely "Have a good day, Len." He whirred around and stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'd prefer you call me Kagamine-san, princess" he replied tersely and walked away. Miku just stared after him. Had he just rejected her friendly proposal? She just pouted and walked out of the room after a while. Her final analysis was this: she loathed Len Kagamine.

As soon as Len was out of the basement, he walked outside to the garden - which actually was just a yard with a patch of grass in it. He touched the wall of his cool cabin with his burning forehead, trying to somehow decrease his erection. There was a large bulge in his pants and if anyone noticed it, he would die of embarrassment then and there. Yes, he, Len Kagamine, Captain of the dreaded terrorist group 'Darkness', had been sexually aroused by the Hatsune princess.

He could feel his face burning with humiliation. The way she bit her lip, looking so afraid and vulnerable. The way she called out his name, innocent yet sexily. Her long eyelashes, which sensually framed her beautiful eyes. It felt like she was seducing him, without knowing it. And when she giggled, oh, he wanted to pin her on the table and f**k her for eternity. It was with great effort he had controlled himself and managed to walk out.

Len suddenly realized what he was thinking about. He shook his head, trying to forget about the beautiful Hatsune princess. He was, a young man after all, one with very strong sexual desires but the only person he'd slept till now was – Gumi. _Gumi, _her name opened up the wound in his heart – the wound he had sealed four years ago. No, right now, he needed to concentrate on his mission. He would NOT give in to his stupid, teenage hormones. Not when he was about to do THAT to her.

Miku walked around the cabin – as Rin had called it – feeling bored. She hadn't seen anybody in a while and wandered if the nine terrorists and the curly-haired housekeeper were the only ones who inhabited this place. As she roamed around, she heard a noise come from one of the rooms. Slowly, Miku crept up to the end of the corridor, thinking it was an intruder. She saw a short girl, with strawberry-blonde hair in two twin tails, reaching out for a jar of cookies which were too high for her to reach. She pulled out the photo from her pocket and recognized one of the girls.

Miku sighed in relief and walked in to fetch the cookies for her. "Here" she smiled at the girl, who was at least four inches shorter than her. "Thank you" she replied in a deadpan voice. _Must be one of the members blondie was talking about, _Miku thought and aloud she asked "What's your name?" The girl looked up at her with emotionless blue eyes "Ia." Realizing that the girl didn't want to speak more, Miku smiled awkwardly "W-Well, Ia, how come I didn't see you before?"

Ia stared at Miku for a while before replying. "I was helping Yuuma to arrange Data Protection files" she said slowly "Maybe that's why you didn't see us princess." _Yuuma must be the salmon-haired boy. _An idea popped in Miku's head. Maybe she could get some information about 'Darkness' from her and get out of here! "So Ia" she smiled sweetly at the young girl "Can you tell me something about 'Darkness'?" Miku mentally face-palmed when she realized how straight-forward and was sure the girl knew her ulterior motives.

Ia gave her a blank look before rattling on "Darkness is a terrorist group which aims to overthrow the rule of Emperor Nigaito Hatsune. It is led by Len Kagamine and has presently got nine members; the Captain, Rin Kagamine, Gakupo Kamui, Meiko Sakine, Lily Kagamine, Yuuma Megurine, Neru Akita, Miki Namine and me. However, we are running tests in December to recruit new members. All of us are highly skilled in combat, weaponry and covert operations."

Miku nodded her head, encouraging Ia to continue. _This girl is like an encyclopedia on 'Darkness.' I can learn everything from her! _Ia gave Miku one of her trademark emotionless looks "What else do you want to know?" Miku took out the photo and asked "Can you tell me something about the members?" Ia pointed at a petite blonde girl with short hair, the one Miku had noticed eating chips. "This is Rin, Captain's twin sister." _Fair enough. _

"Rin is cheerful and bubbly but also noisy and annoying at times. She loves eating and has a quick temper; she gets really violent when she's angry. She loves oranges and bows and also rides a road-roller." Miku nodded. _Yeah, she was eating chips all the tim-WAIT, A ROAD-ROLLER?! _

She then pointed at the brunette – Meiko. "Meiko is . . . ." Ia thought for a while before answering "Meiko is kind of mischievous and often teams up with Rin and Lily to prank people. She likes beer a lot and is nice and jovial but . . . . ." "But what?" Miku asked eagerly. "Well . . . . ." Ia seemed unsure of what to answer "Never mind." The girl looked at Miku with a hint of thoughtfulness in those placid eyes. Something struck Miku as odd. Ia seemed hesitant to complete her sentence.

Then the girl pointed at a look-alike of Rin who had long hair instead of short who was also present at the cat fight. Miku thought she was really pretty. "This is Lily. She's Captain's cousin and likes only two things in the world; boys and lemons. She's nice and a flirt but can be rude and rough when angry, just like Rin."

Next was the heterochromatic boy. "This is Piko" Ia said "he's emotionless and apathetic but is a magician with weapons and all technical things." _So there are TWO poker-faces here. _Ia pointed to the salmon pink-haired boy who stood beside Piko. "This is Yuuma. He is kind and nice and friendly and has a passion for basketball." Miku noticed a faint blush on Ia's cheeks and saw her smile – even though a little, but smile nonetheless – for the first time. _Oh my god. Don't tell me!_

"And this?" Miku asked, pointing at the green-haired girl. For some reason, she felt very curious to know about her. When Ia saw who she was pointing at, her blush disappeared and her lips were drawn in a tight line. "Ia?" Miku asked, when the girl did not reply. But before Miku could ask again, Yuuma came rushing into the kitchen. "There you are" he sighed in relief when he saw the little girl "Len's been looking all over for you-'' But when he saw Miku, he forced out an awkward smile.

"Hello, princess" he greeted her politely "I haven't had a chance to introduce myself, have I? My name is Yuuma Megurine." He then bent down and kissed Miku's hand. Miku blushed but realized that Ia had a crush on him and blurted out something surprising. "I-I'm pleased to meet you too, Yuuma-san" she used her formal voice "But when can I leave? You see it's my b-boyfriend's birthday next week and I have to arrange for the preparations of the party."

She glanced at Ia, who still had the placid expression on her face. Miku wondered if she was angry with her. "I'm sorry princess" Yuuma said in a regretful voice, snapping her attention back to him "but you're never leaving. You are to be" he swallowed something in his throat "killed." 


	7. Chapter 6 - A Chocolate for Friendship

**~ Author Notes ~**

**Chapter 6 is out! Thank you to all of you readers without whose support this story would've been nothing. Special thanks to Zhane17, Nekopyon, HarmonianTraveller, HanaLoid, Hana Okita, Imaginary Flower, BlackSakura-Chi, Auburn Sakura, , Coolkat88, Yuri09, StoveFace and Lady Azuha for their continued support! AND THANKS TO ALL OF THE READERS FOR BOTHERING TO READ IT! **

**Ch. 6 – A Chocolate for Friendship**

The red flames gulped the whole village, destroying everything that came in its way. Houses burned down, the shrieks of frightened cattle filled the air, who were being smoldered to ashes. People fled the blazing village in large groups but were separated. During that terrible fire, nobody knows how many children were orphaned or how many wives were widowed or how many lives were destroyed. But one thing was for sure; things would never be the same again.

The scrawny girl pushed through the crowd, looking lost, her large blue eyes filled with terror. She was surrounded by hundreds of people yet there wasn't a single soul in sight who she could call family. As she wandered through the crowd, someone pushed her and she fell on the ground. She stayed in her place as people stepped and ran over her, covering her with bruises. She wanted to cry and cry and cry and wake up in the morning, relieved that it was a dream.

But no amount of pinching worked. It was all really happening. The fire, the stampede, everything was real. So, the girl picked herself up and pushed out of the crowd, calling out for her parents and brother. Even though she knew it was futile, she shouted out their names with all her strength hoping that, maybe, they'd hear and answer. After searching for half an hour, she realized the village had been deserted.

The girl sat on a big boulder and burst out crying. Tears poured down her bruised and pale cheeks like a waterfall, refusing to slow down. She knew she was gonna die. She knew no one would take her in and that . . . . . and that . . . . . probably her family was dead too. She thought about her parents. Papa's gentle arms which would scoop her up and take her on long walks. Momma's loving voice which would sing her to sleep every night she was scared.

Then her thoughts rested on her brother. He was . . . . . . so young, so fragile. Just a seven-year old child. How would HE survive, even if he was alive? The girl was struck with terror as the nasty thoughts filled her. She climbed down from the boulder and decided to walk to the city. It was the only way she could survive. She remembered someone telling her that it was just across the Hanzu River.

The city: a place filled with mysterious sights. She'd never been there but her friend had and she'd told the girl all about how wonderful it was. Big, noisy machines which ran on a sticky, black liquid called petrol, houses which touched the sky and lights even brighter than the sun. The lass had just dismissed as fantasy but now . . . . . those were the only things she could believe in, which gave her hope. As she left her village, she turned back to look at it for the final time.

The fire had almost died down but it still left a mark of its destruction. Everything was in shambles and cinders and the ashes of human bodies couldn't be distinguished from the embers of burnt trees. A last thought of her and her brother playing happily near the pond crossed her mind, after which she wiped a single tear and trudged off.

Luka woke up with a start and realized she'd been dreaming; dreaming of her past. The fire, the deaths, the screaming crowd, all of it was burnt into her brain. She realized that her shirt was soaked with perspiration and got out of bed. When had she fallen asleep? When she looked at the time, it was only 2:00 p.m.

After a shower and changing into some fresh clothes, she got out of the room only to find the corridors much empty. She could only see a few soldiers here and there who saluted her; after all, she WAS the princess' personal bodyguard. A body guard who had failed in her job. Miku was the one who had saved her all those years ago, when she'd been starving and helpless. And now, she had failed to do the same for her.

Luka was pent up with anger at herself. How could she have been knocked out so easily? Darkness was really not to be underestimated. Now she could see why even Al Kaai, the head guard, feared them. Speaking of whom, she hadn't seen him around. He must've been busy with work; after all, the PRINCESS had been kidnapped.

As she walked through the corridor, she noticed Mikuo and Kaito Shion in the garden, chatting candidly. She smiled. She really must thank Kaito; after all, she knew how much Mikuo liked and admired him. And she felt grateful that he'd come to spend time with Mikuo, knowing how much he'd been through and all. Suddenly, Mikuo noticed her and waved her to come over. She shook her head but since he persisted, she sighed and walked towards them.

"I'm so glad to see you're finally okay, Luka!" Mikuo exclaimed childishly and bear-hugged the girl. Luka blushed faintly while Kaito smirked at Mikuo's bluntness. "Now, now, Mikuo" he teased "don't choke the poor girl." Mikuo smiled apologetically at her and put his hands behind him. "Sorry, Luka" he giggled "I got over-excited. Isn't it so nice of Kaito to come and visit us?! He was really worried about – about Miku" his expression fell. Kaito smiled gently and said "Don't worry; I'm sure Miku is okay. It's Darkness I'm worried about. I don't know where they're gonna get 50 liters' of milk and 1 kg of rose petals for her beauty bath."

The three had a good laugh over the joke. "So, Luka" Kaito looked reproachfully at the pinkette "I don't think Miku would've approved of you skipping breakfast AND lunch." Luka looked down shamefully "I'm sorry. I know I worried all of you a lot. It's just that . . . . . I feel worried for her." "I just hope she's really okay" Mikuo smiled sadly. "I'm sure she is" said Kaito "She's tough. She can survive." 

Miku stared blankly at the floor of her temporary bedroom, showing no signs of emotion. Even though she knew she was gonna be killed, she hadn't really anticipated this. She thought she'd been wrong about Darkness being cold-blooded terrorists and had started _liking _them. Well, not all, but Rin, Meiko, Seeu and Ia had been good to her. But now, she understood why. After all, all scapegoats were fattened up before being sacrificed.

Time seemed to move fast. She replayed all the important scenes of her life; when momma died, when she found Luka on the streets, when she and Mikuo ran into Haku and Dell at the beach (and she got into a fist fight with Dell), when Kaito took her to the carnival, when she first met Le-_Kagamine-san _and Darkness_. _And most importantly . . . . . . . when that Yuuma-guy told her she was gonna be killed.

She wished for all this to be a joke. She wished some random guy would jump out and laugh at her, telling her she was caught on 'Just for Laughs Gags.' Then Le-_Kagamine-san _and all the others would laugh and say that they were acting. Then everyone would have a good laugh at Princess Miku's stupidity for months and it would be the most watched JFLG episode in the history of JFLG.

She wished desperately for it to happen. 

"You're not really going to kill her, are you Len?" Rin asked her twin anxiously, who was staring out of the window at Miki and Lily. They were planting new fuchsias in the garden with Piko helping them. _I wish I could give them freedom, _he thought_, freedom to do whatever they want. _"Len, look at me!" Rin snapped, grabbing Len's wrist and turning him around. She gasped.

"Of course I'm not gonna kill her" Len replied matter-of-factly "I just need to force some information out of her and judging by her character, this is the only way to do it." Rin just kept staring at his face. "Len, a-are you all right?" she tried to caress his cheek but he slapped her hand away. "I'm not gonna let emotions come over me Rin" he gritted "not when we're so close to revenge. I swore to Gumi I'd avenge her and I'm gonna keep that promise no matter what."

"Do you think Gumi would've _liked _this?!" Rin shouted angrily "She's as young as Seeu, Len! How do you think it's gonna affect her mentality?! For God's sake, I saw her eyes Len! She's been staring at the floor since the past 4 hours! She didn't even realize I was there! Even though you don't mean any harm to her, you're mentally killing her! Len, you have to-'' "Shut the f**k up, Rin!" Len retorted.

"Do you think I'm enjoying this?! It's killing _me, _Rin, it's killing me!" Len choked, tears flowing down his cheeks swiftly. Rin bit her lip, to stop from crying. She knew how wounded Len was inside, even if he meant to hide the fact with his cold façade. She knew he was fighting a new battle everyday, desperately trying to keep them alive. She knew whatever he did, was for their good. And yet, she believed hurting the princess was . . . . . . cruel.

"Len" Rin said in a low voice, as if afraid to hurt him more "I hope, Miku will be alright. It'll be a pity to lose a girl like her." "Yeah" Len muttered, his eyes suddenly glowing "She's too beautiful to die." Rin furrowed her brows at Len's sudden change in personality. Did he just call the princess _beautiful_? Rin shook her head. She was thinking too much. Then, just as suddenly, his eyes reverted back to their cold, natural self.

"We are running out of supplies" Len got back to business "I want you to go with Miki and Piko for collecting supplies tomorrow." Rin just blankly nodded, lost in deep thought. "And Rin" he stiffly added "No more outrageous ideas this time." Rin smirked at his sentence. Last time, she'd taken Lui, a 10-year old under training, along on a supply-collecting mission. And Len had been furious about it. He didn't want to risk losing a child to the Army.

"You're dismissed" Len said, before turning back to the window. "You don't have to be so formal when we're alone _nee-chan_" Rin teased. "LEAVE" Len ordered and Rin said mockingly "Aye, aye, terrorist-captain" and slipped away. Len started staring outside again, at the newly planted fuchsia plants. _I really hope, _he thought, _my plan works._

Rin skipped along happily, humming a song as she went by. Len had just given her a _wonderful _idea. She skipped to the end of the long corridor and halted at the room that was just at the end. She opened the door slowly and peeked inside. Miku was still staring lifelessly into empty space. Rin's heart wrenched when she saw her eyes. They were blank, emotionless, just like Len's had been after the Second Holocaust. And she hated those eyes.

Rin tiptoed to her bed and as soon as she was close enough, she shouted into Miku's ear "Heads up!" Miku jerked high and Rin saw an insanely-happy expression on her face. "I knew it! I knew it!" the princess screamed "Where're the cameras?! You people are really good actors! You fooled me! Come on guys, you all can come out now! I've caught you, I've – I've-'' Rin's brows furrowed and Miku's expression darkened. "It's not 'Just for Laughs Gags', is it?"

Rin stared at the tealette for 5 seconds . . . . . . and then burst out laughing. Miku just glared angrily at the blonde who was literally rolling on the floor. "HA HA HA!" Rin chortled "J-Just for Laughs Gags?! Where the f**k did you get such an idea?!" Miku pouted and looking away, snapped "I just hoped it was that, okay?! After all, I–I hoped that . . . . . maybe . . . ." she started staring at the floor again, her blank expression returning.

"Hey" Rin smiled "You're not gonna die, okay? I'm not gonna let Len do that so easily." Miku looked up, shocked at her words. Rin took out a Cadbury from her shorts and handed it to the princess. "Eat this. It's my favorite. I'm sure you'll like it too." Miku nodded slowly and peeled off the purple wrapper, then the white one and finally the golden. She then tentatively took a bite out of it. She had eaten it several times before but never had it tasted so good. Maybe that's because she'd eaten nothing since the past 8 hours.

"Did you like it?" Rin beamed at the girl. Miku smiled at her and replied "It's delicious." Suddenly, Rin's stomach fluttered. _Len was right, _thought the blonde_, she really is gorgeous. _"Thanks, Rin" the tealette said "But why do you care so much about me?" Rin just grinned at her and patted her shoulder. "You'll soon see. And by the way, Miku?" "Yes?" "You're free tomorrow, right?"


	8. Chapter 7 - Long Walks and Bitter Truths

**~ Author's Note ~**

**I'm so glad that all of you like my story so far! But do be prepared for some devastating and unbelievable truths in the near future! By the way, which character do you like the most till now? I know it's a little bit too early to ask but I feel curious. Please review your answers and reasons!**

**Special thanks to Zhane17, ImaginaryFlower, Nekopyon and Hana Okita for their reviews. And thanks to all my followers and readers who support this story with so much enthusiasm! HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!**

**Ch. 7 – Long Walks and Bitter Truths**

"Rin, where are we going?" Miku asked the blonde who was stuffing a gun and some extra bullets in her black bag. Last night, Rin had told her to wake up at 6:00 a.m. and when asked why, she answered that she'd take Miku to a 'special' place. Miku felt excited since she'd always craved for some adventure but she also had a curious feeling about it. "Good morning, princess! Good morning, Rin!" Miki – a red head from Darkness – greeted the two cheerfully. "Hello" Piko greeted them coolly. Both had similar black bags like Rin's.

"Good morning, both of you" Miku replied and Rin grinned, still packing her bag "Up so early? It's unlikely of you Miki." Miki blushed and replied proudly "I have to; I'm a member of Darkness, after all." Miku smiled at the redhead fondly. She liked Miki. She was nice, cheerful and polite and had also made some leek soup for her, though she didn't know how Miki found out about her fondness for the vegetable. Also, Miku came to know she was a new recruit and had only joined last month.

On the other hand, Miku felt awkward around Piko. He was quiet and polite but he seemed so . . . . . . distant. It was as if he did not want to socialize with others. _Why should I care about it, anyway? _Miku thought, shaking her head. It was not as if they were friends. She doubted if she'd even stay alive long enough to be friends with anyone. She still remembered what Yuuma had said to her. _You are to be killed. _But she also remembered Rin's promise. _I'm not gonna Len do that so easily._

Luka had told her not to trust strangers but somehow, she felt connected to the female twin. She felt that Rin would keep that promise and not let her down. "I'm ready!" Rin shouted, slinging her bag onto her shoulders. As all four got up to go, Miki asked "Did Captain allow Princess to go?" Rin gave the redhead a toothy grin and chirped "Nope. That's why we're sneaking out the back door!" Miku looked confused, Miki's eyes widened in fear and Piko's expression . . . . . . well, his expression pretty much remained the same.

As Rin started walking, Miku asked her "Where are we going? And, are you sure Len would be okay with this?" "Don't worry about him" Rin said, waving her hand "He'll cool down soon." "As you like" Miku said, walking through the corridor. But Miki felt very afraid. "R-Rin" she quivered "L-Let's take Cap-Captain's permission first." Rin sighed "You guys worry too much. If he gets angry, I'll take all the blame, all right?" Miki just nodded, very much unconvinced.

The group tiptoed quietly down the stairs, afraid to wake the other members. When they were about to walk out the door, a familiar voice asked them "Where're you going?" The girls stiffened and slowly turned around. They were relieved to see only Seeu blinking curiously at them, still dressed in her blue night-dress. "Where're you going?" Seeu repeated. "W-Well" Rin stuttered "We-We're going to collect some mushrooms for today's lunch!" Silence followed. Miku mentally face-palmed again. _Only an idiot will fall for that lie._

"Be careful of the poisonous ones" Seeu reminded and walked back in. "Sure!" Rin shouted after her. Then, without any further aversions, the group left the house. 

"Got it" Dell smirked and ordered Haku to fetch Mikuo and Luka. Soon, his sister was back along with the two and Kaito as well. "Haku told us you found something interesting Dell" Mikuo asked curiously. Dell smirked – which was very unusual of him – and pointed at the carpeted floor. "Um" Mikuo hesitantly said "I still don't get you." Dell face-palmed but Luka understood what he meant.

Luka kneeled down and running her hand over the purple carpet she found a small hole. She jabbed a finger inside it and lifted the carpet up. The group gasped. There was a wooden-door like structure in the floor. "I don't get it" Mikuo said, confused "When was this made? I'm sure father didn't make it otherwise I would've known." "Darkness made it" Luka said, her blue eyes glowing with anger. "Correct" Dell couldn't stop smirking.

"But when?" Kaito asked "Didn't you guys hear anything?" Dell and Haku shook their heads while Mikuo pondered something. "I say" Mikuo suddenly spoke "Let's explore it." "But that would be-'' Haku started though Kaito and Dell had already started pulling at the door. "It's locked" Dell grunted. Luka quietly slipped away while Dell and Kaito, now joined by Mikuo started tugging harder at the door. They pulled at it uselessly for another five minutes but had to give up in the end. "Dammit!" Dell cursed "It's impossible!"

"I've got something that may work" Luka said, entering the room once more. "Don't tell me that's a grenade" Kaito said, raising his eyebrow. "Don't worry" Luka placed the grenade on the door "It's got a small blast force." After the grenade had been placed, Luka took a few steps back and ordered "Get back everyone."

BOOM!

Smoke filled the entire throne room and sirens blared on the Palace speakers. Soon, all the leftover guards had thronged into the room, obscenities of all kinds leaving their lips. "What the f**k's happening?" Bruno cried out but bit his lips when he saw the Prince in front of him. Suddenly, a young man with brown hair and glasses pushed his way through the puzzled crowd. He raised an eyebrow at Mikuo and said "Care to explain?"

"Dell found the door!" the tealette shouted excitedly. When the mob still had confused expressions, Kaito cleared his throat and explained "Dell found the door that Darkness used to enter the Palace and kidnap the Princess." There were murmurs of "Oh's" and curses about the dreaded terrorists. "Squad no.4" Luka turned to the squad, who were one of the two squads that were present, assembled themselves in formation. "I want you to check the tunnel for any traces of proof that might lead us to Darkness."

"Yes maam!" they saluted her and quickly climbed down the lid. "Squad no. 9" she turned to the squad led by Bruno Dilaurentis, one of the Captains who'd been the head of the 'Capture Darkness" mission during the assault. "I want you to stay here and guard the Palace." They saluted her and returned back to their posts. After everyone had disbanded, Luka turned to Haku "Did His Highness say where he was going?" "He said he'd escort Lady Shion and the Shah of Iran to the airport." _So that explains the loss of guards in the Palace, _Luka thought.

"What can I do?" Mikuo asked, stepping forward. There was eagerness in his eyes. "Nothing" Dell retorted "Just stay quiet and don't run off somewhere alone." "But I wanna do something too!" Mikuo whined. Kaito put a restraining hand on his friend and calmly said "We can't risk losing you too, Mikuo. I understand you want to help but the only way you can do that is staying out of trouble." Mikuo pouted but muttered "Fine."

Meanwhile, Luka was talking to Haku. "Will His Highness be long gone?" she asked impatiently. Haku replied "I don't know, my lady." "We can't risk time" Luka mumbled then she asked Haku "Is Ryuto still here?" Haku replied "Y-Yes, my lady." _I don't have any other choice. _"Then fetch him." Haku bowed and left. After a few minutes, a teenage boy with light green hair and similar-colored eyes entered the room.

"Did you call for me, Luka?" he asked, smiling at her. "Yes" Luka replied tautly "I want you to report to His Highness about the discovery of a trapdoor used by Darkness to enter the Palace." "We can wait for them to come back" he suggested "The time won't make any difference." "I told you to report to him, didn't I?" Luka snapped "So just go and don't argue with me." But her sharp tongue only increased the boy's smile more. "As you wish, my lady" he bowed and walked away.

Suddenly, an idea struck Dell and he ran out of the throne room to God knows where. "Now where is _he_ going?" Mikuo wondered aloud. Then to Haku he added "Can you go and check what he's doing? Please make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Haku bowed – for the umpteenth time that day – and rushed after her brother. "I do wonder why you're so rude to that guy" Kaito asked Luka. Luka replied tersely "I don't trust him since the first day he's been here."

"But Ryuto's pretty nice" Mikuo said, in an effort to defend him. "He is hard working, obedient and he helps me out."

Luka glared at the tealette but she found it hard due to his cuteness. "Mikuo, you just can't trust everyone, okay?" she explained slowly. "It's been only three years Ryuto's been here and he's an OUTSIDER. We don't know ANYTHING about him, not even his last name." "But Luka" Mikuo shyly said "The same applies to you." Luka stared at him, her lips drawn tightly. "Oh boy" Kaito muttered, sweat producing on his nape.

Mikuo was right, Luka knew it. No one knew much about her except her age and her name. She'd never told anyone – even Miku – about her family, her village, her last name or anything related to her past. How could she? Her past was nothing but a horrible mixture of fire, cinders and ashes. She wanted to forget about it but it always haunted her. "Luka?" Mikuo asked in a guilty voice "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't wanna hurt you. It just – It just –'' "Prince" Bruno popped his head out of the lid "We've got a lead." 

As the group got out of the gate surrounding the Darkness cabin, Miku noticed a few houses here and there. "Is this a village?" Miku asked Rin. "Yup" Rin nodded "This is our community." The Princess saw young children playing hop-scotch around, a few middle-aged women sipping coffee and discussing something animatedly and old men playing carom. But strangely, Miku didn't see ANY young men or teenagers around. "Rin" Miku whispered to the blonde "Is there a school or an office around here? I don't see any men or any children around."

Rin's expression saddened and a soft sigh escaped her lips. "Rin" Miku asked worriedly "What happened?" "Have you heard about the Second Holocaust, Princess?" Miki questioned the tealette, drawing closer to her. "Um" Miku guessed "We studied about it in Civics. It occurred three years ago, right?" "Yes" Miki nodded "But did you hear what happened?" "Yes" Miku replied, interested "I heard that an organization or something set a whole village on fire just so they could get dead bodies for their heinous experiments."

"And do you know where it happened?" Miki smiled sadly at her. Miku was about to say no when the truth dawned on her. She stopped short and stared at Miki, an indescribable fear creeping into her eyes. Then she snapped her attention to Rin. "I-It was your village" she quivered "W-Wasn't it?" Rin smiled and nodded slowly. "Yes, you finally get it." Miku's legs shook uncontrollably and Rin had to hold her still to prevent her from falling down.

"Princess" Rin shook her "Calm down." But many thoughts filled Miku's head. _The Second Holocaust? It was in LEN'S village? But why? Why didn't I know this before? Is that why there aren't any men or teenagers here? Because they all were KILLED? _"Miku" Rin smiled sweetly at her "Let's keep walking. People are starting to stare at us." True, many curious gazes and questioning looks were thrown at the quartet. Miku gave a blank nod and the four continued walking again.

Even though it was a warm morning, Miku felt cold and scared. She wanted to run away, back to her own home and go to bed. She had often felt the feeling to snuggle to sleep and be relieved it was a dream but now, that feeling was stronger than ever before. But a question nagged Miku in the bottom of her brain though she couldn't point out what it was. "I'm sorry, Miku" Rin sighed "I didn't want to tell you this but I thought . . . . . . I'd break it to you rather than Len."

"Thanks, Rin" Miku smiled "I'd have preferred YOU as well." Rin smiled back but a worried thought crossed her mind. _I'm not sure I can break the worst news to her yet. _"By the way Rin" Miku said, snapping the blonde out of her reverie "Where are we GOING? We've crossed the village and we're getting closer to town."

Rin had been so lost in deep thought that she hadn't realized they'd crossed the village! But the last part of the sentence brought a grin to her face. "You haven't told her, Rin?" Miki asked the blonde. "Told me what?" Miku looked back and forth at the two girls, an annoyed expression on her face. Miki shook her head at Rin and turned to Miku "Princess, we're going to the Main City on a supply-collecting mission."


	9. Chapter 8 - Raiding Stores and Secrets

**~ Author's Note ~**

**Hello, everyone! An early update! Thanks to all those who voted for their favorite characters! Special thanks to Zhane17, R.J. Niner, Nekopyon, ImaginaryFlower, Auburn Sakura, Black Sakura-Chi, Hana Okita, HanaLoid, Yuri09, StoveFace, HarmonianTraveller, LadyAzuha, 09Ashlyn09, Coolkat88 and for their continued support! And a BIG THANKS to all my dear readers!**

**Ch. 8 – Raiding Stores and Secrets**

"A supply-collecting mission?!" Miku stared – more like glared – at Rin, who just looked away and whistled. "And you didn't tell me?!" Rin stuck her tongue out sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "Uh . . . . . . I forgot?" Miku face-palmed and murmured "Never mind" and continued walking. "Princess" Miki said timidly "May I ask you something?" "Sure" Miku smiled. "W-Well" Miki twiddled her index fingers "I heard that you have a boyfriend. Is it true?"

Miku's jaw dropped and an 'Are-you-f**king-serious' expression was evident on her face. "Ooohhhhhhhhhh" Rin cooed. "Y-You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" Miki flustered. "I was just curious." The disappointed expression on the young girl's face made Miku guilty. Well, she HAD told the Yuuma-guy she was dating, wasn't she? _But that was just so Ia did not feel bad, _Miku argued with her inner self.

"Well" Miku lied "Yeah, I do have a boyfriend." Miki stared at her with wide eyes and pink-tinged cheeks. "Really?" she exclaimed "What's his name?" "H-His name?" Miku stuttered, giving an awkward smile. _His name? _Miku panicked on the inside, _what shall I SAY?! _Right now, she could think of only one name. "K-Kaito" she swallowed a lump in her throat "His name is Kaito."

"The Princess WHAT?!" Neru exclaimed, her eyes wide open. "But I thought you knew" Seeu mused, tilting her head. "Now this is interesting" Meiko grinned. "Captain" Neru turned to the blonde boy "This is serious! We MUST tell Rin to return." "But we are out of supplies" Yuuma tried to reason with her. Neru turned to him, looking very angry, infuriated, annoyed, irritated or any other similar adjective you can think of. "What if Rin gets us killed just for collecting supplies?! Who do you think would use them then? RATS?!"

Yuuma flinched but decided to stand his ground. Boy was Neru SCARY. "Neru" he said as calmly as humanly possible "We NEED to get supplies. We will manage lunch but what about dinner?" There was an awkward silence for about five minutes. Neru took a deep breathe and turned to Len "What do you suggest, Captain?" Len rubbed his temple, staring out the window. Even though he didn't speak, others could see Len emitting a purple aura. "Rin's in deep s**t" Meiko muttered.

"S-So we just walk in, then?" Miku asked nervously, standing outside a convenience store in the outskirts of Tokyo. "Yup" Rin beamed "Did you expect something else?" "Well" Miku mused "I thought that we'd walk in wearing masks and those black suits you guys wear and then order everyone to put their hands behind their heads and steal things and run out." Now it was Rin and Miki's turn to have an 'Are-you-f**king-serious' expression. "W-What?" Miku stuttered, angrily blushing "I just thought that was the way you guys worked, all right?"

"You know, Princess" Miki smiled, trying to make her feel less embarrassed "We're not even THAT bad." Miku grinned awkwardly and said "I-I know." "So let's go!" Rin exclaimed, walking inside. The doors automatically opened and Miki followed the blonde while Piko sat outside and took a laptop out from his bag. "Won't you go?" Miku asked the heterochromatic boy curiously, peering into his laptop. "I need to disable all the security cameras" Piko replied, his fingers drumming on the laptop keys flawlessly. Miku was amazed at the speed he worked.

Miku followed Rin and Miki inside, where Rin was chatting with the convenience store manager, who seemed like a chatty lady. "So, I told Bruno to get me those new kitten heels that are so popular nowadays. But he just flatly refused, you know. He said I didn't need it" the brunette girl complained. Miku's ears perked up at the name. "Really?" Rin asked, sounding genuinely curious "How do you walk in heels Clara? I just trip every time I wear-'' But Miku heard no more and walked to where Miki was.

The redhead was pretending to look at some Kellogg's Cornflakes but in real, she seemed to be planting some tiny, round objects. "What are these?" Miku asked and Miki gasped. "Oh" Miki sighed in relief "It's just you Princess." "Sorry if I scared you" Miku said "But I was curious about these . . . . . these . . . . gadgets." Miki smiled as she got back to fixing them "These are mini smoke bombs invented by Piko. They are set by a timer. When they go off, they knock a person unconscious and THAT is when we raid the whole place."

"But won't the unconscious person become suspicious after he wakes up?" Miku questioned, trying to soak as much information as she could. "That's where acting comes in" Miki smiled, done with her work. "You see, we have somehow convinced Clara that she has fits where she becomes unconscious and has no memory of what happened during that time. So, when Clara wakes up, she's always at the couch and one of us beside her, with a glass of water." "Oh" Miku said, nodding. Complicated, but clever.

Suddenly, Miku realized the think that was nagging her till now. She quickly reached into her pocket and was relieved when she felt the childhood photo still there. "Miki" she asked, showing the redhead the photo "Who's this green-haired girl in the photo?" Miki's eyes widened when she saw the girl and she felt at a loss for words. "Well . . . . ." she began to say but paused. "Well?" Miku asked impatiently. "She . . . . . she is . . . . ." Miki played with her hair, looking uncomfortable. "Just who is SHE?" Miku snapped.

Just then, the bombs went off. Miki quickly reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out two gas masks. She handed Miku one and quickly wore the other. Miku wore it but felt angry. Her question was again left unanswered. "Quick" Rin said, appearing in front of them. Piko entered the store as well, carrying four big trolleys. "Stuff all you can!" Rin shouted, throwing some everyday stuff like cereals and toothpaste. Miku rushed to the dairy section, her heart beating fast in her chest. She'd never stolen a cookie and now, she was raiding a convenience store.

_What shall I take? _She thought, scanning through different kinds of ice-cream. _Kaito would've taken the whole freezer, _she giggled. She stuffed many milk bottles, a few ice-cream packets, soaps, toothbrushes, few ready-to-eat noodles and some bacon and sausages. "What you takin'?" Rin asked and suddenly hearing her voice made Miku scream. "Don't scare me Rin!" Miku shouted. Rin chuckled and said "Sorry, _princess." _Rin's cart was full of vegetables and . . . . . . chocolates? "Hurry up!" Miki whispered "She's gonna wake up soon!"

Rin dragged a confused Miku out of the store to Piko and Miki who were already waiting near the bushes. Thankfully, there was no one outside except a stray dog. Rin ran back inside and lifted Clara as if she weighed no more than a feather. She then laid the brunette on a couch. "Let's go" Miki said, pulling Miku. "But Rin-'' "Rin will be all right." Miku nodded and followed the redhead back to the forest.

"Are the prototypes ready?" the man asked, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, my Lord but we need to test them as well." "How many of them are there?" "Ten, including Devil's Angel." The man raised an eyebrow. "I thought there were thirteen?" "Three escaped from our facility during the First Holocaust." The man leaned front in his chair. "The First Holocaust?" "Yes, my lord. The three belonged to the top thirteen experiments. And they also set 400 of our other subjects free."

The man chuckled and took a sip from his red wine. "So, how did you manage to hold back the other ten?" "We didn't. They stayed by their own will." The man looked curious. "By their own will? I thought the test subjects were kept in dingy rooms, all alone and tortured everyday." "The normal ones were, yes, but the top 13 were kept together in a single cell. We hoped they could share their knowledge and killing skills to evolve more. But they became so knowledgeable that they escaped." "So, the three that escaped, they were never found?"

"No. We sent extensive search parties but seems like the three were gone for good." "So . . . . . you have no idea where they are now or what they look like or if they're even alive." "Mutants like them don't easily die, my Lord. We certainly have no idea where they are, since they also destroyed the tracking devices on their clothes. Clever beings, they are. But all three have one similarity – they have whitish-silver hair." "And how's that?"

"You see, we tried one of our top secret drugs on four subjects – two male and two female. The drug had a side effect – it changed their hair color to somewhere between white and silver. From those four subjects, both the males and one female escaped. So, that's how we know." The man leaned back again, thinking something. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" the man said. "Sorry to disturb, Your Highness" Ryuto bowed as he entered "But I have some important news."

"Speak, Ryuto" His Highness, Lord Nigaito Hatsune, asked with one of his usual smiles. "A secret tunnel has been found under the throne room which is what Darkness used during the Princess' kidnapping." Lord Nigaito raised any eyebrow, an amused smile adorning his face. "Oh? And who found the tunnel, may I ask?" "Dell Honne, Your Highness." Cul, who was meanwhile looking at some laboratory notes, glanced at Ryuto. "Is something the matter, Cul?" Lord Nigaito asked.

Cul looked away again, the serious expression remaining on her face. "Nothing, Your Highness. I just thought . . . . . . . the name sounded familiar."

"So . . . . ." Mikuo drawled, unconvinced "This is a _lead_?" "Seems like a" Kaito raised an eyebrow "White hair pin to me." "Exactly!" Bruno exclaimed "This means that one – or possibly more – member of Darkness is a teenage girl." "Wait" Kaito said "This hairpin could be Miku's." "Miku doesn't use white hairpins" Luka added "She uses teal ones. And I'm sure that during her kidnapping, she wasn't wearing any hairpins." "But this doesn't take us anywhere" Mikuo whined. "The only thing we can do is search teenage girls" Luka said.

Everyone fell into a hushed silence. The lead they'd got wasn't of much use and they knew that searching would take many days by the end of which anything could happen to their Princess. "What shall we do next?" Bruno asked. "We must wait for His Highness' orders" Luka said "Only then we can take our next step.

"_Dell, we must escape." "But how?" "I have a plan. But I need your, Haku and everybody else's help." "We're with you. We'll do anything to escape this hell-hole." "Good, now listen to me." _"Dell?" Haku shouted at the young man "What are you doing?" Dell grunted "I'm going to find Miku." "Dell, don't be stupid! How can you find her? She may be anywhere in Tokyo – or Japan, who knows!" But Dell continued packing his bag. "Dell!" Haku shook his shoulders "Look at me. Look at me, Dell!"

With a grumble, Dell averted his eyes from his weapons to stare into his sister's red orbs. "What?!" "Dell" Haku sighed "I know you want to find Princess but we have no lead on where she may be or if she's even alive." Dell snorted. "Miku's a tough chick. She won't give up without a fight." "That's not what I meant" Haku fiddled with her maid outfit "What good can be there by just rushing out there? You don't even know where to start from-'' And Dell suddenly chuckled.

Haku stared at him, frightened, confused, puzzled. "I think I know who made the tunnel, Haku" Dell said, suddenly serious. Haku stared at him, eyebrows raised. "You do too, don't you, Haku?" Haku was about to say no when past memories struck her. "Dell!" she gasped in horror "It can't be!" "But what if it is?" Dell smirked. Haku's legs started shaking. "D-Dell" she stuttered "Y-You're just t- thinking nonsense. A-Anyone could've made t-the tunnel! I-It doesn't necessarily h-have to-to be . . . . . . . _him." _

"Haku, you saw the tunnel, didn't you? It was _carved _not blasted or re-made. And carving a tunnel like that takes almost a _year _for normal humans even with modern machinery. So . . . . . . it _must've _been a mutant." "B-But why _him? _I-It could've been a-any of them!" Haku quivered shakily "I-I don't be-believe it was _him_!" Dell sighed and put his hands on Haku's shoulders "Haku, who was the hands expert of our group? Who was the one that made the escape tunnel?" Haku looked away, still refusing to believe. "Believe it or not, Piko is _alive_ . . . . . and a member of Darkness."

**~ Result for Character Poll ~**

**Miku – 1 (Harmonian Traveller)**

**Seeu – 1 (Nekopyon)**

**Rin – 1 (Zhane 17)**

**Keep voting!**


	10. Chapter 9 - Everybody Keeps Secrets

**~ Author's Note ~**

**I'm so, so, SO sorry for the late update! You see, my cousins were over and they didn't allow me to even TOUCH the computer! Thank you for waiting. **

**Thanks to all those who voted for their favorite characters! Special thanks to Zhane17, R.J. Niner, Nekopyon, ImaginaryFlower, Noelthevee, Auburn Sakura, Black Sakura-Chi, Hana Okita, Yuri09, StoveFace, HarmonianTraveller, LadyAzuha, 09Ashlyn09, , Little Night Sparrow, Coolkat88 and for their continued support! And a BIG THANKS to all my dear readers!**

**Ch. 9 – Everybody Keeps Secrets**

Miku stared at the scary blonde girl in front of her, unsure of what to say. Even sneaking through the back door didn't help. She glanced at Piko and Miki through the corners of her eyes. The redhead was visibly shaking while the heterochromatic boy had his usual impassive expression mixed with a little . . . . . fear? Neru was tapping her feet impatiently, shrouded with a purple aura and her bangs covering her eyes. Seeu stood fearfully at the door, mouthing a 'sorry' to Miku while Meiko was grinning. Miku didn't think her to be so nice now.

Except Neru, Seeu and Meiko, no one else was in sight. "What do you have to say for yourselves?" Neru said in a low but venomous voice. No one said anything. Miki just started shivering more while Piko drew his lips tightly. Miku was unsure of what to say. "I asked . . . what do you have to say for yourselves?" Neru asked again, louder this time. "We-'' but before Miku could say anything else, Rin entered. "Uh oh" the newcomer muttered and was about to flee when Neru grabbed her by her collar.

"Rin" Neru spat "You're the _real _troublemaker here, aren't you?" And Neru stared at the smaller blonde with smoldering eyes. Miku clearly saw Rin sweating buckets. "Oh . . . . Um . . . . I . . . . We . . . Chocolate?" Rin grinned weakly, taking out a Bourneville from her shorts. And Neru's vein popped. "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST TAKE A HOSTAGE ON A SUPPLY-COLLECTING MISSION, THAT TOO WITHOUT CAPTAIN'S PERMISSION?!" Neru screamed loud enough to shatter glass.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS?! WHAT IF THERE WERE TROOPS WAITING TO AMBUSH YOU?! WHAT IF WE ALL GOT KILLED?!" "Excuse me" Miku said, irritated "But there were no troop-'' "SHUT UP, YOU TEAL B***H!" Neru screamed at her, throwing Rin on the floor "JUST 'CAUSE YOU'RE JAPAN'S PRINCESS DOESN'T MEAN YOU RULE OVER US TOO! WE'RE DARKNESS, NOT YOUR F**KING SLAVES!" "_Excuse me?" _Miku retorted, taking a step towards Neru. Everyone paled.

"What did you just call me?! If I'm a b***h, you're a blonde sl*t! And I'm _not _your hostage!" Miku spat. Neru's aura grew even darker. Rin crawled off the floor to someplace safer while Seeu closed her eyes. Miki fainted and Piko had to catch her – to her joy – while Meiko walked into the kitchen for a snack. "Wanna fight, b***h?" Neru asked, balling her fists. Miku smirked. "Come on over, sl*t."

But before the angry girls could cat-fight again, someone stepped between them. "Len?" both the girls exclaimed in shock. With his golden bangs covering his eyes and a black aura – a hundred times creepier than Neru's – surrounding him, Len looked as the Angel of Death himself. "Neru" he growled in a low voice "Back off." Neru obeyed him immediately. Even though she _never _retreated from a fight, she knew if she didn't obey the Captain right away now, she'd be a pile of golden-blonde ash.

Len grabbed Miku's wrist, literally dragging her. He grabbed Rin's collar, dragging her in the process as well. Miku kicked and thrashed and cursed but she was no match for Darkness' leader. Rin just went limp, silently praying to God to let her live.

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Dell trudged down the corridor, his grey bag slinging on his left shoulder. Haku followed him wordlessly, still dazed by what she'd heard. _Piko's a member of Darkness, _she thought blankly. She shook her head furiously. _No! It can't be true! He's dead! _But was he _really _dead? After all, his body wasn't found. "Dell" she panted, catching up to her brother "Are you SERIOUSLY going? What if – What if – you're wrong?"

Dell stopped for a moment, only to glare at her. Dell hated many things with a passion but the most important of them was, being wrong. Then he resumed walking again. "I'm not wrong" he snapped "Piko _is _alive AND with Darkness." Haku flinched. She did not like hearing that. Somehow, she just couldn't picture the impassive heterochromatic boy being a part of that murderous terrorist group. "E-Even so" she stuttered, trying to keep her tears from falling "W-What does this ha-have to do w-with the P-Princess ? H-How're you gonna f-find her?"

"Simple" Dell stated, as if he had worked all this out "I'm gonna search for that heterochromatic idiot and force him to spit out where he hid Miku." "Which heterochromatic idiot are you guys talking about?" a voice asked. Dell and Haku stiffened. Kiyoteru stood in front of them, dressed in his white lab coat and a bundle of notes in his hand. "Do you know something about Princess' kidnapping, Dell?" the brunette man asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"None of your business" Dell grumbled, walking past him. Haku gave the brunette an apologetic glance and followed her brother. _The siblings have something to hide, _the brunette thought, walking in the opposite direction. _But who am I to criticize when I've got dark secrets of my own._

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Mikuo, Kaito and Luka sat in the dining room, talking over coffee and caramel custard. Most of the soldiers were busy guarding their posts, escorting the Shah to the airport or Lady Shion back to her hometown and hadn't returned yet. Of course, since the princess' kidnapping had somehow been leaked and had caused uproars and huge traffic jams. Most of the guards were searching for the princess and questioning people on her whereabouts.

"No news of her yet?" Kaito asked, sipping his coffee. Luka, who sat still as a stone, shook her head. Mikuo just poked his custard with his fork, disinterestedly. The weather was quite nice today, being sunny and all, but none of the three felt like doing anything. Finally, Mikuo couldn't take it anymore. "Dammit!" he cursed, banging the table "Miku's been kidnapped and all we're doing is sitting and eating custard!" Kaito and Luka stared at him for awhile then turned their gaze to their coffee again.

"If you're so eager to do something" they heard a familiar voice "Do you wanna come with me?" Dell stood in the doorway, a grim expression on his face – instead of his usual pissed-off one – and his gray bag slung over his shoulder. "Are you going somewhere?" Mikuo asked, tilting his head. "I'm gonna go search for Miku" he grumbled "Wanna join?" Mikuo was in seventh heaven. "Yes, yes, YES!" he exclaimed, running towards Dell.

But before he could reach the silver-haired man, someone grabbed him by his collar. "You're not going anywhere, Mikuo" Luka hissed. "But why?!" Mikuo whined, facing the pinkette. Luka narrowed her eyes. "Why?" she repeated "We don't want you to get kidnapped along with Miku, that's why." "I'm not as weak as her!" he exclaimed angrily "I won't get kidnapped! If those terrorists come even _near _me, I'll kick their a**!" Kaito chuckled at this but Luka still seemed displeased. "No, Mikuo. And don't argue any more."

Mikuo opened his mouth to retort but someone else beat him to it. "Mikuo won't be alone, Luka" Dell came in "I'll be with him. And by the way, _I'm _his bodyguard, not _you._"Luka knew it was futile to argue with Dell; even if he was wrong, he'd find a way to win. But she was not giving up without trying. "Well" she crossed her arms in front of her chest "It's still dangerous for only the both of you to go. Who knows, Darkness may still be on the prowl."

"You know" Kaito said from out of the blue "I wonder why Darkness hasn't asked for anything yet." All the three looked at him with confused expressions. "I-I mean" Kaito became conscious of the attention on him "Why would they kidnap Miku just like that? They must be after something, right? Money, political power or something like that." "I think you're right" Luka said, a thoughtful expression on her face "They _must _be after something."

"The question is: what?"

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Miku and Rin were currently in the basement, the former visibly cowering while the latter just sat straight, biting her lip. She wasn't sure how to react. Should she be afraid? She didn't even know them so properly. Anyways, it wasn't _her _fault. She'd just accompanied them – right? Oh all right, all right, the whole episode had happened _because _she'd accompanied them but Rin was the one who'd asked her! So she was just gonna tell them that, get out of the basement and go back to her room. But before she could open her mouth, seeing the incredibly murderous Len before her, shrouded in a black aura, made her change her mind.

On the other hand, Len massaged his temple. Rin just _loved _giving him headaches, didn't she? She _had _to be punished . . . . . even though he somehow didn't feel like punishing her. The only reason he'd dragged them down there was because he wanted to ask Miku something – something which had been nagging him at the back of his mind all day. But so as not to look odd – he'd dragged both of them together. "Rin" he uttered and the blonde girl almost fell off her chair.

She stared at him, her cerulean blue eyes as wide as saucers as she braced herself for whatever he was gonna say. "You're grounded for a week" he stated in that steely voice of his. Rin's eyes snapped shut but when he did not say anything else, she peeked through one eye. "That's all?" she asked, shocked. Len stiffly nodded. Rin's jaw dropped open and her eyes became wider, if possible. Had she become deaf? "Can you repeat Len, 'cause I did not-'' "Just go before I _modify _your punishment" Len snapped. "Sir, yes, sir" Rin mock-saluted and skipped out of the room happily.

Now only Miku and Len were left in the room. Miku stared at the floor awkwardly while Len remained silent. "Um" Miku said, getting up "I think I should-'' "Sit" Len ordered coldly. Miku immediately sat back down. She would've loved to retort with a snarky comment but she realized the consequences . . . . well . . . . . wouldn't be so pleasant. Len stared at her, his icy blue eyes scrutinizing the tealette from head-to-toe. "Don't look at me like that" Miku mumbled, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. "What do you think of your father, Princess?" "Huh?" was all Miku could reply. _What the hell?_

"I asked" Len's gaze became colder "What do you think of your father, Princess Miku Hatsune?" "Why?" Miku retorted, her eyes narrowing. Why the sudden interest in her father? "Just answer the question" he snapped back. Miku saw hatred burning in those beautiful cerulean eyes, as once they'd burned in her. She lowered her eyes and said softly "I think my father is a despicably abominable human, if we can even call him that." There was a slight change in Len's expression. That of pity. "Why?" he asked, his voice warmer.

Miku looked at him in the eye and chuckled. "Why?" she asked mockingly "You of all people should know that." "There's no reason for _you _to hate him" Len said, placing his chin on his joint fingers. Suddenly, Miku started laughing. Len flinched – he hadn't seen this side of the Princess. And for an unknown reason, it slightly unnerved him. Miku finally stopped, her long bangs shadowing her eyes. "I would prefer not to discuss it, Kagamine-san" she deadpanned. Len saw a single tear slide down her rosy cheek. He had a sudden urge to run to Miku, to hold her in his arms, to comfort her as she cried on his chest though he knew he couldn't do that. She loved another. But there something else he _could _do.

"Please, Princess" he beseeched, holding her hands in his "I _need _to know". Miku jerked up, shocked at their contact. She marveled at their softness and warmth. Who knew a cold-blooded killer would have such nice hands? She suddenly felt comfortable with him, felt as if she could blurt out all her secrets. But first, she needed to tell him one thing. "The reason I hate him" she said, her voice filled with hurt and anger "Is because that f**king son of a b***h killed mom."

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She looked at the view of the city, her hair flowing gracefully in the wind. She stood at the edge of the building, the sharp wind lashing against her but she did not care. Beside her, her companions sat, bored. "Ne, I want to do something." "We will when the tests are over." "But when will that happen?! I've been waiting since the past nine years, I don't wanna wait anymore!" "She's right; we've been waiting since far too long! It's time for some action!" "Patience, we'll soon have our chance." "No, at this rate, we never will!" "Just shut up all right!"

"Silence" she ordered, turning swiftly around. The others obeyed immediately; she was the Queen after all. She jumped of the building edge and approached the others. "I know you all have been waiting for long but I promise our time will come very soon." "But when?! I'm bored to death! I want killing!" She smiled affectionately, patting the speaker's head. "Very soon, we'll face them very soon."

**~ Result for Character Poll ~**

**Miku – 1 (Harmonian Traveller)**

**Seeu – 1 (Nekopyon)**

**Rin – 1 (Zhane 17)**

**Piko – 1 (R.J. Niner)**

**Keep voting!**


	11. Chapter 10 - Attraction or Love?

**~ Author's Note ~**

**Hello, everyone! I'm so glad to get so many supportive reviews! You guys are awesome! If not for you, I don't think this story would've survived for so long! Thanks a lot for supporting me and my story!**

**Thanks to all those who voted for their favorite characters! Special thanks to Zhane17, R.J. Niner, Nekopyon, ImaginaryFlower, Noelthevee, Auburn Sakura, Black Sakura-Chi, Hana Okita, B.A.G-Gomez, Wakingthedemon007, Mocha Hotalatte, AngelicDevil 152, Vocaloid 01 Hatsune Miku, StoveFace, HarmonianTraveller, LadyAzuha, 09Ashlyn09, , Little Night Sparrow, Coolkat88 and for their continued support! And a BIG THANKS to all my dear readers!**

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**Ch. 10 – Attraction . . . . or Love?**

Miku walked out of the room, dazed by what'd happened. Len's guilty, pleading face played continuously in her mind. _"Please, Princess" _she had seen the warmth, the guilt in those beautiful blue eyes _"I need to know." _Miku felt her face become hot. Was she - was she falling in love with him? She shook her head furiously, alarmed at such a ridiculous thought. _It's just attraction, _she thought decidedly, _It HAS to be attraction. After all, how can I love that cold-hearted guy? I don't even know him properly! Yup, _she nodded her head, _It is attraction._

But was it really?

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On the other hand, Len sat on his desk in the basement, staring intently at a photo. "Gumi" a soft sigh escaped his lips, as he ran his fingers over the picture of the green-haired girl. He missed her touch, her comfort, the warmth of those hands. He missed the days they'd spent together and the nights they'd slept in each other's arms. He missed her terribly. Her death had left an empty void in his heart.

He could never forget the expression on her face. Even while dying, she'd looked so peaceful, so calm and so exquisite. Just like a fragile and breakable China doll. Thinking about her death, Len balled his fists. He was gonna make the king PAY for what he did to her. He was gonna make him suffer through his daughter. The lovely Princess Miku Hatsune.

Lately, she had been on Len's mind a lot. She was inhumanly beautiful, yes, Len had to give her that, but there was a strange gentleness about her that strangely reminded him of his deceased lover. Even though she was fiery and spunky, Len felt . . . . . comfortable around her. Like he could trust her with his life.

"Len?" a familiar voice called him out of his reverie. Neru stood at the doorway, a worried expression on her face. Len stared at her and she coughed before speaking again. "I was just wondering if you were okay" she walked towards him and sat on the opposite chair. "I'm fine" Len replied, quickly putting the photograph in the drawer. Neru sighed. "You don't need to hide it from me you know" she smiled sadly "I know how much you miss her, Len." Len stared at Neru for a while, before he completely broke down.

Neru stood up and hugged her friend, her crush as he cried into her chest, soaking her blue sweat-shirt with his tears. All the while, she just patted him on his back, comforting him. "Let it all out, Len" she whispered "Cry all your sorrows out." Everyone knew that Neru was Len's most trusted confidante and she was fiercely loyal to him as well. But they didn't know that she was also the only one who knew this weak, vulnerable side of their cold-hearted Captain. A side which he didn't even reveal to his own twin.

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"The moths are so pretty" the curly-haired blonde remarked, staring dreamily at the said insects. "Hn?" Ia asked, looking up from her novel – one she'd found on the last excursion. It was titled _Fifty Shades of Grey _and it was very . . . . . interesting in a different sort of way. She was learning many new 'things' from that book, things which were very unfamiliar but piqued her curiosity. Seeu shook her head, a content smile on her face "It's not important." Ia nodded shortly and returned to her book.

Seeu just sat on the dining table, staring at the strawberry-blonde twin-tailed girl in front of her with curiosity. Dinner was over and everyone had gone back to their own rooms. Miku, Len and Neru had been absent at the dinner table – but she'd asked the others to send a plate of food to their rooms. Rin had been happy – TOO happy after getting the Captain's punishment – but even the said punishment was too lenient for her cold-hearted cousin. He usually gave tough ones like a thousand sit-ups or cleaning the whole cabin for a few weeks. She wondered why he'd softened. Was it because of the princess?

The princess. Seeu sighed dreamily. She was so pretty, just like an Angel. In comparison to her, Seeu felt like a dead moth. Everyone had always told her that she was extremely lovely but now, she felt so ugly in front of the teal-haired newcomer. But instead of jealousy, admiration filled Seeu's heart for Princess Hatsune. For you see, Seeu was incapable of thinking badly about anyone and she felt drawn to the Princess in a strange way. The curly-haired blonde's attention was drawn back to the 14-year old who sat in front of her. Ia.

Seeu still remembered the first day they'd found the twin-tailed girl. It had been nine years ago – she and Yuuma had been collecting Shiitake mushrooms for dinner.

_Even as a 7-year old, Seeu already knew how to differentiate between edible and poisonous mushrooms. Her mother had taught her well. So there they were, two kids collecting mushrooms, until they came upon a little girl with hip-length, strawberry-blonde hair in tangles all around her pretty face. Her dark blue eyes had a scarily impassive look for a child of that age and her barefoot legs were covered in bruises. She was wearing an expensive-looking peach dress which had become tattered and dirty._

"_What's your name?" she remembered asking the girl. The girl's placid eyes washed over her, taking in the two older forms before replying. "Ia" she replied in an emotionless tone. "What are you doing here, Ia?" a young Seeu asked the girl "Are you lost?" Ia stared at her blankly and went into a passage of silence. The two kids stood with the girl, not knowing what to do. They couldn't just take a random child they found in the forest home but they also knew they couldn't leave her like that. God knows what might happen to her. "Yuuma" Seeu looked at her senior "I think we should take her home."_

_The 9-year old boy's eyes widened. "We can't just take her like that" he whispered, not wanting the child to hear him "We just met." "We can't just leave her alone too" Seeu whined "What if something happens to her?" Yuuma stared at her in disbelief but pondered over the thought. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and rubbed his head "I guess we have no other choice." Seeu squealed delightedly and caught Ia by both her thin wrists. "You're coming with us!" Seeu shouted as she spun the little girl round and round. But the girl's expression hadn't changed at all._

"Seeu to Earth, Seeu to Earth" Lily remarked, waving a hand in front of her younger cousin's face. Seeu almost fell off her chair in shock and exclaimed "Lily-nee-chan! What are you doing here?!" Lily smirked and teased "Why, Seeu? Dreaming about your beloved Yuuma-kun?" Seeu blushed heavily and stuttered "N-No, o-of course not! Y-Yuuma-kun is only my friend!" Ia's eyes flickered to them only for a moment. Lily laughed at the other blonde's embarrassed expression but waved off the subject. Leaning on the table, she brought her face close to Seeu's "Dad's coming tomorrow."

Seeu's mouth hung open and her blue eyes became as big as saucers. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT?!" she shouted, shooting out of the chair. "Ne" Ia's voice broke in "What happened?" Lily put an arm around the tiny girl and whispered "Commander Li is arriving tomorrow." Ia's expression remained the same – the only thing that changed was a slight frown on her usually tight lips. "What shall I cook, what shall I cook?!" Seeu exclaimed aggregately. "How do you know?" Ia quietly asked. "Letter, darling" Lily said, waving an envelope in the air.

"Now, I have to go tell Lenny about this or he's gonna get real pissed off" Lily said "Good night, sleep tight!" As soon as Seeu sat down on a chair, Lily shouted "And don't let the bed bugs bite!" This time, Seeu really fell off the chair while Lily ran away, laughing. "Oww" Seeu said, rubbing her injured butt. Ia just stood silently, processing what she'd just heard. Looks like she'd have to face a certain idiot again.

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"So, in other words, we're facing a terrorist organization?" a young pinkette asked a certain tealette, her yellow eyes narrowing. "Y-Yes" Mikuo gulped "B-But we don't know-'' "And you never even planned to inform me" the former calmly said, sipping the tea she'd been offered. Beside her, a young girl with purple hair tied in two low twin-tails just stared at the teal-haired boy. Dell rubbed his temple, clearly annoyed. They certainly did NOT have time for this. The pinkette put down her cup and cleared her throat. Then taking out a large paper fan from seemingly nowhere, she smacked the teal-haired boy. "Hey!" Mikuo snapped "What was that for?"

The said girl glared at Mikuo with her fierce yellow eyes. "What was that for?!" she spat, fully facing him now "We're talking about my best friend here! Miku got kidnapped and you guys didn't even bother to tell me?!" If not for her purple-haired bodyguard, Iroha would've broken Mikuo's neck. "Calm down, Iroha" the purple-head deadpanned. Mikuo hung his head guiltily "I'm sorry, Iroha. We forgot." "Forgot?! FORGOT?! Which brother forgets to tell his sister's best friend that she's been kidnapped?! That too it's been three days?! The only reason I found out about it was because somebody leaked it into the press!"

Saying that, Iroha smacked two newspapers on the coffee table. They were filled with articles about the Princess' kidnapping. All other news had become of minor value. "Anyways" Kaito broke in "It's no use if we just keep on arguing about it like this. We need to look for her." Iroha stared at him if she'd just recently acknowledged his presence. "Oh" she retorted "And what do you plan to do? Stick posters of her in coffee shops?" Kaito's eyebrow twitched. He did not like it when people retorted at him.

Iroha turned back to Mikuo. "You" she pointed a finger at him "I'm coming with you to search for Miku." But before Mikuo could reply, Dell said "No, you aren't." "And who the hell are you to stop me, Dell Honne?" Iroha raised an amused eyebrow. This girl was seriously annoying. Dell took a threatening step towards her but the purple-head took a protective stance in front of her. "Stay out of this, Yukari" Dell gritted. "Control yourself, Dell" Yukari replied in her trademark placid voice. Iroha flinched but that did not deter the loudmouth.

"I'm coming with you and that's-'' "No, Iroha. You're NOT" a firm, feminine voice said. Luka entered the room, her light blue bag slung over her shoulders. "L-Luka" Iroha quivered while Yukari gazed at her idol. "It's time!" Dell said joyously, relieved to leave the annoying pinkette and her equally annoying body guard. "I wanna come too!" Mikuo whined childishly. "A no is a no, Mikuo" Luka replied coldly. She'd already lost Miku. She did not wanna lose Mikuo too.

"Are you sure you both can manage alone?" Kaito's eyes shifted between the silver-haired man and the pinkette. "We aren't 5th graders" Dell replied proudly "We're the Captains of the Royal Army. We can take care of ourselves." Luka smiled at his determination. _Yes, we can. After all, we're the Captains of the Royal Army and we'll not rest until we find Miku._

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"Miku, wakey-wakey!" Rin shouted enthusiastically, jumping on the sleeping tealette who sprang to life as she thought an elephant had broken into her room. But when she saw the stupidly grinning blonde, her shock changed into irritation. "What the hell, Rin?!" she asked, rubbing her eyes "Why'd you wake me so early?!" But Rin's grin did not subside as she started bouncing up and down. "They're coming! They're coming!" she squealed with excitement. "Who're coming?" Miku yawned. "Uncle Li!"

Meanwhile, downstairs, everyone was in a whirl. "Ne, is the mushroom soup boiled yet?" "We need some ice-cream!" "Ia, go get some chili-powder from the storeroom." "No, the chairs should be placed there!" Rin and Miku walked down the stairs, Miku out of her borrowed nightgown and into some fresh clothes. Seeu, Meiko and Miki were busy in the kitchen, Ia and Neru were rushing here and there, Piko and Gakupo were busy fixing chairs and tables while Lily, Yuuma and Len were nowhere to be seen.

Miku was a bit frightened with such sudden activity. "Rin?" she whispered. "Yes?" the blonde whispered back. "Who is actually 'Uncle Li'?" Rin stared at her with an 'are-you-serious' expression but exclaimed "Oh, right! No one has actually _told _you about him right?" Miku shook her head. "Well, you see, Uncle is-'' "Rin, get your a** over here and help us!" someone, who sounded like a really pissed-off Neru, shouted. "Uh oh. I'll tell you later, Miku!" Rin shouted, rushing off. Miku just stood on the staircase, confused.

"You don't seem to be very happy about General's arrival, Captain" Yuuma stated, as he and Len carried some boxes from the storehouse back into their Cabin. Len deeply sighed. "I hope he just doesn't annoy me questioning about the Princess." Yuuma smiled, sighing dreamily.  
"Yes, she's so lovely after all." A small spasm of jealousy went through Len. "Do you like her?" Len asked his voice colder than normal. Yuuma chuckled. "I should, shouldn't I?" and Len swore he saw a tinge of mischief in the pink-haired boy's eyes "But somehow I don't."

And a warm feeling of relief washed over the Captain. _Wait, relief? _he pondered, _Why am I feeling relieved? I don't care if Yuuma likes her. Hell, I don't care if Gakupo likes her! _As they walked inside the house, Len's mind agreed on one thing Yuuma said.

_Yes, she is very lovely though._

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**~ Result for Character Poll ~**

**Miku – 4 (Harmonian Traveller, B.A.G-Gomez, Wakingthedemon007 and BlackSakura-Chi)**

**Seeu – 1 (Nekopyon)**

**Rin – 1 (Zhane 17)**

**Piko – 1 (R.J. Niner)**

**Len – 1 (Hana Okita)**

**Keep voting!**


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